Surviving in Hereditary Metastatic Lung Cancer

Abstract

Metastatic lung cancer remains the leading cause of cancer-related mortality worldwide, despite advances in chemotherapy, targeted therapy, radiotherapy, and immunotherapy. Although modern oncologic treatments have improved symptom control and modestly prolonged survival, durable remission in advanced-stage cancer remains rare, and the underlying mechanisms of treatment resistance and spontaneous regression are still poorly understood. Conventional biomedical models primarily emphasize genetic mutations, molecular signaling pathways, and the tumor microenvironment, while largely overlooking potential spiritual and karmic dimensions of disease. This simplified framework may contribute to incomplete etiologic understanding and suboptimal therapeutic outcomes. We previously reported a case of complete remission in a patient with late-stage lung cancer who experienced a 37.5% loss of body weight and severe, generalized pain lasting 24 hours, without undergoing surgery, radiotherapy, or chemotherapy, following sustained practice of the Three Golden Buddhist Practices of the Guan Yin Citta Dharma Door. Here, we report another case of complete recovery from metastatic lung cancer in a patient with a strong familial cancer predisposition, achieved through sustained Buddhist practice after medical therapies failed. This case further supports a dual physical–spiritual model of cancer pathogenesis and suggests that integrative medical–spiritual approaches may offer complementary therapeutic potential for advanced malignancies, warranting further systematic investigation.