Background: Spontaneous tumor regression has been the object of considerable interest and speculation for hundreds, if not thousands of years. It has been reported following a wide diversity of infections.
We describe a case of spontaneous pancreatic cancer regression and review the relevant literature.Case Report: A 50-year-old male presented with a history of weight loss, anorexia and discomfort after meals. Oncology workup revealed pancreatic adenocarcinoma (T2N1M0, stage IIIb). A twoweek regimen of radiotherapy combined with seven weeks of gemcitabine failed to alter the progress of the disease. However, a subsequent perforated duodenal ulcer was followed by severe peritonitis, fever, and tumor regression.Conclusions: A review of the literature uncovered only three previous cases of spontaneous pancreatic cancer regression. The authors discuss the importance of the acute febrile immune response, which appears to be an underappreciated mediator of tumor regression.

Keywords: Fever, Infection, Leukocytes, spontaneous regression