diff --git a/polygerrit-ui/app/elements/shared/gr-comment-thread/gr-comment-thread.ts b/polygerrit-ui/app/elements/shared/gr-comment-thread/gr-comment-thread.ts
index de8a02d..a895a5b 100644
--- a/polygerrit-ui/app/elements/shared/gr-comment-thread/gr-comment-thread.ts
+++ b/polygerrit-ui/app/elements/shared/gr-comment-thread/gr-comment-thread.ts
@@ -599,7 +599,10 @@
       }
     }
     if (changed.has('editing')) {
-      if (!this.editing) {
+      // changed.get('editing') contains the old value. We only want to trigger
+      // when changing from editing to non-editing (user has cancelled/saved).
+      // We do *not* want to trigger on first render (old value is `null`)
+      if (!this.editing && changed.get('editing') === true) {
         this.unsavedComment = undefined;
         if (this.thread?.comments.length === 0) {
           this.remove();
diff --git a/polygerrit-ui/app/elements/shared/gr-comment-thread/gr-comment-thread_test.ts b/polygerrit-ui/app/elements/shared/gr-comment-thread/gr-comment-thread_test.ts
index ab08996..347e1e0 100644
--- a/polygerrit-ui/app/elements/shared/gr-comment-thread/gr-comment-thread_test.ts
+++ b/polygerrit-ui/app/elements/shared/gr-comment-thread/gr-comment-thread_test.ts
@@ -39,6 +39,7 @@
 } from '../../../test/test-data-generators';
 import {tap} from '@polymer/iron-test-helpers/mock-interactions';
 import {SinonStub} from 'sinon';
+import {waitUntil} from '@open-wc/testing-helpers';
 
 const basicFixture = fixtureFromElement('gr-comment-thread');
 
@@ -271,6 +272,32 @@
     });
   });
 
+  suite('self removal when empty thread changed to editing:false', () => {
+    let threadEl: GrCommentThread;
+
+    setup(async () => {
+      threadEl = basicFixture.instantiate();
+      threadEl.thread = createThread();
+    });
+
+    test('new thread el normally has a parent and an unsaved comment', async () => {
+      await waitUntil(() => threadEl.editing);
+      assert.isOk(threadEl.unsavedComment);
+      assert.isOk(threadEl.parentElement);
+    });
+
+    test('thread el removed after clicking CANCEL', async () => {
+      await waitUntil(() => threadEl.editing);
+
+      const commentEl = queryAndAssert(threadEl, 'gr-comment');
+      const buttonEl = queryAndAssert(commentEl, 'gr-button.cancel');
+      tap(buttonEl);
+
+      await waitUntil(() => !threadEl.editing);
+      assert.isNotOk(threadEl.parentElement);
+    });
+  });
+
   test('comments are sorted correctly', () => {
     const comments: CommentInfo[] = [
       {