Spontaneous Regression - Cancer and the Immune System

You may be surprised to learn that medical journals refer to an average of four cases of spontaneous regression from cancer every month. This book surveys the general history of cancer treatment over the past 100 years, taking its cue from an experiment carried out by William Coley in 1891. Coley injected erysipelas bacteria into a cancer patient in the hope of provoking an immune response that would also address the cancer. He had to try several times but when he succeeded, the patient recovered from both conditions. It was, however, a dangerous procedure as two of Coley's subsequent patients actually died from erysipelas! Current treatments effectively suppress the immune system and attack healthy along with cancerous cells; this, as we know, has its limitations, so an approach that strengthens the immune response. Hence the book ends with an appeal to spend more research funds on investigating the nature of the immune response in spontaneous regression. Although short, the book is extensively referenced, although I did not spot the huge tome published by the Institute of Noetic Sciences detailing 3,000 cases from the medical literature.