treatment of CANCER

Press, Volume XCVI, Issue 28343, 31 July 1957, Page 7

treatment of CANCER

Striking Cures “Unlikely” Wmi, Zealand Pre „ Awagiattmi; WELLINGTON, July 30. It was unlikely that <trlkta* 5.7*”” wonld be „ c^ e ° f ““Menant growths, gaid Dr E G i,™.!. radio-therapist at WelJhigtort Hospital to the annuli Itart™* of ‘ h * Weld,vlsi <”> of the CanCBr be ? n ® s Successful as had hoped, he said. ew™ lth “ a “y types of -canr do !’ ot s Peak of cure in the sense that we use the word or .. ith appendicitis "w7,>y^2 rUa ’ he added - - ™ eancers some risk ?hr™?!rt, ntU * al recurrence remains ttroughout the lifetime or the We prefer to speak of survival, in a condition of appar10* is° a. 5n alth ln . terrns of five, io. 15 or 20 years.” reason to believe that with the use of supervoltage therapy the survival period of cancer patients would be lengthened considerably. If cancer could not be cured, a n endeavour would be made to a n Vl ? te lt- . The alleviation or pallia ion of the disease constituted a major part of cancer treatment work. In this field, supervoltage therapy offered the most substantial advantages. Radio-therapy treatment however, particularly where heavy voltages were used, could be an ordeal to the patient. The treatment could be depressing and affect the patient’s normal feeling of good health. There was also a skin reaction, but this usually cleared after the treatment was ended. Supervoltage Therapy Supervoltage therapy, while in some respects simplifying the problems of radiation therapy, required much more precision in us application if it was to be used _ ’’We have to face the fact that in cancer treatment nothing but the best possible treatment can be acceptable either to the patient or doctor.’’ said Dr. Lynch. “I think it is inevitable that a preponderant part of the radiotherapy treatment given to patients in the future will be by supervoltage methods.” Commenting on the use of radium, Dr. Lynch said that even with small quantities it had been possible to obtain striking effects in the treatment of some forms of cancer. Scientists using the atomic pile were now able to make large quantities of artificial elements emitting rays like radium, and it was possible to use them in a similar manner to X-rays. An important discovery in the treatment of cancer was that radiations were not equally destructive to all types of cells or aL types of cells equally vulnerable at- each stage of their existence. If some way could be found to make malignant cells more vulnerable to radiation, or normal cells more resistant to radiation damage, substantial progress would be made, he said.