Fever as a factor contributing to long-term survival in a patient with metastatic melanoma: A case report.

BACKGROUND: Malignant melanoma is a cancer that arises from pigment cells in the skin called melanocytes. The long-term survival of a patient with advanced melanoma is rare.

CASE: We present a unique case of a female patient who has suffered from malignant melanoma for more than 13 years. The disease progressed quickly, and 19 months after diagnosis, the patient was classified as having stage IV melanoma. After several years, the patient had several episodes of fever that were not deliberately treated with medication. After each episode of fever, the patient observed the disappearance of tumours, which was confirmed by medical examination. Interestingly, since her initial diagnosis, the patient has refused most of the proposed medical treatments. Consequently, only some of the surgical procedures were performed. Currently, despite the initially poor prognosis, the patient only suffers symptoms that are the result of surgical resection of brain metastases. Most of her malignant tumours either disappeared or have stabilized without further growth.

CONCLUSIONS: The onset of fever has altered the typical and unfavourable course of melanoma, causing remission or at least stabilization. This observation, in accordance with others in this field, suggests that fever in cancer patients should not be treated immediately, but should be allowed to develop under the care of a physician.