Abstract

MUCI-MENDOZA, Rafael. Regresión biológica espontánea de gliomas de las vías ópticas: Un prototipo de tumores de San Peregrino*. Gac Méd Caracas. [online]. 2008, vol.116, n.1, pp.46-56. ISSN 0367-4762.

Saint Pellegrino Lanziosi is considered the patron of patients with cancer, and by extension of those with HIV infection/AIDS. A revealing episode took place around 1325, when he was almost sixty years old. A painful gangrene in his right leg became so serious that the friary physician had to amputate the sore limb. The night before the operation Pellegrino crawled with great difficulty to the large Crucifix located inside his room and there he besought Jesus to heal him. While he was half-asleep, he saw Jesus touching his sore leg and he was instantly and spontaneously healed. Since the occurrence of this miracle, tumors that biologically recede until they disappear are known as Saint Pellegrino tumors. Visual pathway gliomas are multifaceted tumors. Although they are considered as benign juvenile pilocytic gliomas, in some cases they may progress, invading neighboring structures and causing loss of vision. In other cases, they remain stable for years, and may even shrink, showing spontaneous biological regression with improvement of related symptoms. The phenomenon of spontaneous regression of benign and malignant tumors is well documented in the literature and is commonly attributed to the induction of apoptosis or the activation of the immune system. It is crucially important that this phenomenon be taken into consideration whenever the results of therapy (surgical resection, radiation, and chemotherapy) are being evaluated. Supported by a sequence of neuroimages, the author communicates three of these cases. None of them were carriers of neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF-1).

Keywords : Glioma; Saint Pellegrino Lanziosi; Optic nerve tumors; Saint Pellegrino’s tumors; Spontaneous biological tumor regression; Apoptosis; Neurofibromatosis type 1.