A spontaneous remission.
We have studied cases like these. In virtually every cancer spontaneous remission may occur. Some say in 1 :10.000, but no one really knows. In renal cell carcinoma spontaneous remission be more than 1: in 100. Interestinglym spontaneous remission may occur in what seems to be the last days of life. we have documented remissions in patients that were close to death, cachectic and moribund. So, 'you're not dead until you're dead'. An unusual event may occur till the last breath. The biological course is inherently uncertain.

This does not mean that we should lean back and wait. In our cases, spontaneous remission was preceded by a remarkable psycho-existential shift; in two out of eleven cases, a religious event preceded clinical improvement. In most of us, such changes do not occur automatically. So, we need in depth experiential psychotherapeutich exercises to come as close as we can. Yet, psychotherapy has doubled survival in some studies, but was without effect in some others. It seems that purely cognitive treatment or experiential psychotherapy by oncologically in-experinced therapists has the least chances of clinical effect. Yet, a short course in problem focused coping improved clinical course of melanoma for a period of ten years. There's more than one way to Rome.

Back to the question: prognosis always says something about the 'average patient', the mean of a group. We don't know in advance who will be the average, and who is going to be the exceptional survivor. So, all of us are entitled to go for that.