Spontaneous Regression of Metastatic Colorectal Cancer Following Discontinuation of an Interleukin-6…

Case reportSurgical case reports· 2026

Spontaneous Regression of Metastatic Colorectal Cancer Following Discontinuation of an Interleukin-6 Receptor Inhibitor: A Case Report.

Eiki Miyake, Fumitaka Taniguchi, Mikoto Nosaka … Hideki Aoki

Colon & Rectal SurgeryCase report

Metastatic colorectal cancer stayed recurrence-free 2 years after stopping an IL-6 inhibitor

Spontaneous Regression of Metastatic Colorectal Cancer Following Discontinuation of an Interleukin-6 Receptor Inhibitor: A Case Report.

Eiki Miyake … Hideki Aoki

Surgical case reports · 2026

Background

Spontaneous cancer regression is exceptionally rare, particularly in colorectal cancer.

2-year

Results

2-year

still cancer-free two years after stopping the drug

More results

We report a rare case of Stage IVA transverse colon cancer with synchronous liver metastasis that showed complete pathological regression in both sites after discontinuation of tocilizumab, an interleukin-6 receptor inhibitor.

More results

CASE PRESENTATION: A 79-year-old woman with a history of rheumatoid arthritis and interstitial pneumonia was treated with iguratimod, methotrexate, prednisolone, and tocilizumab.

PET-CT images revealed an accumulation of fluorodeoxyglucose in the transverse colon and liver.

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Conclusion · 1 of 3

The findings of this case suggest that tocilizumab discontinuation may have reactivated antitumor immune responses, resulting in spontaneous regression of both the primary colorectal cancer and liver metastasis.

Conclusion · 2 of 3

Notably, prior to regression, both masses were histologically confirmed as malignant lesions.

Conclusion · 3 of 3

This observation provides valuable clinical insight into the relationship between interleukin-6 receptor blockade, immune modulation, and tumor dynamics.

Spontaneous Regression of Metastatic Colorectal Cancer Following Discontinuation of an Interleukin-6 Receptor Inhibitor: A Case Report.

Spontaneous Regression of Metastatic Colorectal Cancer Following Discontinuation of an Interleukin-6 Receptor Inhibitor: A Case Report.

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