Some Observations on the Natural Behavior of Cancer in Man

IT IS generally accepted by surgeons that cancer grows in a steady and irrevocable manner, the rate of which is a function of the particular tumor and bears a fairly close relation to the histologic appearance of the lesion. Not only are apparent arrests or regressions of tumors usually attributed to faulty observations or recent therapy but also little or no consideration is given to the possibility of a natural resistance to cancer. The thesis of this paper is that malignant neoplasms undergo periods of spontaneous arrest or regression alternating with periods of growth and that this phenomenon is a . . .