RESEARCH IN CANCER

Press, Volume XCV, Issue 28233, 22 March 1957, Page 13

RESEARCH IN CANCER

Experiments Made In Sweden

[By

JOHN CHAUME S]

Is cancer a deficiency disease? That is, does it appear when one or more essential products are missing in our diet? An example of this is vitamins or one of the metals which the body needs in minute quantities. These questions arise from observations made in Sweden. Some years ago the most widespread forms of the disease in Sweden were cancer of the mouth and of the throat. But, according to a report published in the Swedish paper, there has been a definite decrease in these forms of cancer since flour for bread has been enriched with iron and vitamins of the “B” group. It seems that one can conclude that at least some types of malignant tumours appear as a result of a lack of iron and of vitamin B in the diet. This deficiency would at least prepare the way for the appearance of cancer. The research made in Sweden seems to corroborate the theory put forward in June, 1956, before an American professional congress by Dr. Walter B. Quisenberry, president of the Hawaiian Cancer Society. Dr. Quisenberry put forward the theory that cancer of the stomach may be brought about by a lack of vitamins. He based his hypothesis on the following observations.

The Japanese suffej three times as much as other racial groups from cancer of the stomach.

And, as Dr. Quisenberry could observe in the Hawaiian Islands, the Japanese consume a considerable amount of starchy foods, particularly a lot of rice—foods which contain very little vitamin 81. They also eat raw fish, which according to this expert contains a substance which destroys the Bl vitamins. Finally, they eat their food very hot, which is another irritant factor. It is now admitted that shocks of any kind can cause the appearance of an ulcer of the stomach, added Dr. Quisenberry. Is it not logical to suppose that in special conditions which can be created by a particular diet, these same shocks may produce not an ulcer, but cancer?

Cancer research is progressing along many different lines. The “Sloan-Kettering Institute for Cancer Research” at Columbus, Ohio, supported a spectacular experiment last summer in the study of how the human body defends itself against an attack of the disease. The experiment was carried out on 14 prisoners in the town penitentiary who volunteered for the job.

A particle of a culture of cancerous tissue was injected into each of the volunteers. Some days later, in each guinea pig there was a local reaction round the point of injection. In some their- reaction was hardly visible while in others it was very violent. Such a reaction would have appeared with other sorts of injection. said Dr. Chester M. Southam, who carried out the operation. But, he added, we have been able to conclude, and that was our object, that the body of some men reacts much more violently than that of others to the action of cancerous cells. This tends to show that some men have anti-bodies which are effective against cancer and in others these anti-bodies are, if not absent, at least less active. This indicates that resistance to cancer is an individual affair, and according to their constitution different people are more or less susceptible to contracting the disease and to fighting it. Dr. Cornelius P. Rhoads, scientific director of the “SloanKettering Institute,” of New York, drew his own conclusions from this daring experiment.

Dr. Rhoads said he could not describe exactly the workings of the defences of the body against cancer. But he had good reason to believe that the secret of these workings lies in the composition of one of the numerous acids contained in the living cell. It is now the turn of the chemists, he says. Let them discover this acid,

analyse it, and with the results they obtain they should discover the chemical cure for cancer. British Research

Dr. Rhoads also revealed that thanks to the work of British research scientists it is now possible to obtain large quantities of cancerous tissues from different types of human cancer for research purposes. The cancer cells are injected into chicken embryos during the first day of their growth. A cancerous tumour of the type injected then develops rapidly since the embryo has not yet been able to form anti-bodies which could check it.

At any rate, chemists are at work on the problem, and numerous chemical preparations are in the experimental stage. But they will need months and years of experiment. We do know, however, that the research laboratories of the University of Chicago have been experimenting for the last year with a product called “B-3 Thienylalanine,” or more simply, “T.A.” It has been observed that it slows down the growth of cancerous tumours in animals, though no experiments on human beings have yet been attempted. In Holland, Dr. Van Everdingen, member of the medical services of the town of Utrecht, has been experimenting with another type of product —a serum comprising liver extracts and organic ferments or enzymes. Sixty-two patients in the last stages of the disease have apparently been treated with this serum for 15 months. In 80 per cent, of the cases an improvement in the general state of health was noted with increase of appetite and increase of weight. But only nine patients showed a decrease in the actual symptoms of the disease. Dr. Van Everdingen himself emphasises that we should not expect miracle cures. It is simply that one more step towards curing the disease has been taken. In the present state of affairs, the conclusions of the Dutch doctor are valid for all treatments, whether with chemical products or with serums. Science has not yet found the complete cure for cancer, but a slow progress is being made. On the other hand we must not forget that, if they are discovered in time, numerous cancers can be cured by surgery, by X-rays or by radiations from radio-active substances. One important step has therefore been taken and it is not too much to hope that in the future cancer will be treated and cured like other infectious diseases. What we cannot yet do is fix the date.