Abscopal effect:
The abscopal effect is a hypothesis in the treatment of metastatic cancer whereby shrinkage of untreated tumors occurs concurrently with shrinkage of tumors within the scope of the localized treatment. R.H. Mole proposed the term “abscopal” (‘ab’ – away from, ‘scopus’ – target) in 1953 to refer to effects of ionizing radiation “at a distance from the irradiated volume but within the same organism”. [Wikipedia]
Noted in “Red-light therapy does have health benefits but not the ones you think,” Graham Lawton, NewScientist (9 May 2026; paywall):
The research also suggests that the effects spread beyond the light-soaked mitochondria, as the small patch of skin cannot account for the large impact, says Jeffery. This may be related to the mysterious abscopal effect, a rare phenomenon in cancer radiotherapy where irradiation of a primary tumour can shrink secondary tumours located elsewhere, he says.
