Lung cancer ‘out in decade if no smoking’

Press, 2 October 1979, Page 6

Lung cancer ‘out in decade if no smoking’

i ’ Ninety per cent of lung ? cancer could be eliminated ! 'in 10 years if all smoking ‘jstopped' now, said a visiting 1 Canadian cancer expert in ■jChristchurch yeterday. Dr R. N MacDonald, ■ : director of the Cross Cancer i Institute, in Alberta, said '[that a third of al! serious forms of cancer in men I could be eliminated if they | stopped smoking. ,! However he did not •favour harsh measures to •combat cigarette smoking. A I better approach was to try •| to stop “fallacious" advertis:ing by the manufacturers. J Intensive educational programmes in the Western ; world had been successful in I reducing the rate of cigajrette smoking in men. but. women were beginning to smoke more because the old social taboos were wearing off. The increase in the rate of lune cancer in women paralleled their higher incidence of smoking. Asked about the link between food additives and cancer. Dr MacDonald said it was an over-simplification to say that if people ate nat|ural foods they would not (get cancer or that if they late foods with additives they i faced a greater risk.

g| “You’ve got to take each d I food additive and analyse ’it,” he said. “Any new ’'chemical food additive ought n to be checked before it is i put into food for sale for L human consumption." r! Dr MacDonald said cancer ii of the stomach was less s |common now in countries i|such as the United State--7 (than it had been 20 yearlago. Some experimental evitidence had suggested that 11 some anti-oxidants used aLfood preservatives helped to prevent this form of cancer He suspected that the (common Western diet of ton ■itnuch bulk and too little iifibre might have more to <to I With cancer than food addi - fives. Il seemed prudent to t[have a diet high in fibre and i low in fat to avoid the risk lof bowel cancer, although ’definite evidence was not 1 ytt available to support ■ such a conclusion. Dr MacDonald has been j brought to New Zealand by j the Cancer Society. He will i return to Canada later this ■ iweek. Today he will take ".[part in a panel discussion for social workers on the 'needs of cancer patients.