THE WAR ON CANCER

Dominion, Volume 19, Issue 44, 16 November 1925, Page 9

THE WAR ON CANCER

.DR. GYE BROADCASTS HIS.. HOPES MUCH “WILD TALK,” HE ' SAYS Dr. W. E. Gye, whose cancer research work in collaboration with Mr. Beernard has brought him prominently before the public, has spoken on the subject of "The Cancer Problem from the London studio of the British Broadcasting Company. Cancer, Dr. Gye said, had been studied principally by two methods. (1) By observation, and (2) by means of experiment. It had been shown that cancer occurred in all races, ana, that all classes suffered. Its incidence was independent of material well-being. The disease occurred chiefly m middle and old age, though the young may be attacked. . , Cancer began locally. This local growth gradually invaded . the deeper tissues and passed into internal organs, forming secondary tumours. Observation had shown that a new growth consisted of cells, which had in some mysterious way acquired the power to grpw beyond the needs of the body generally. Once the malignant cells penetrated to inaccessible or dangerous situations within the body, removal of the primary tumour was of no avail. If, however, the primary tumour was removed before spread took place a definite cure of the disease was possible. In this country about 40,000 persons died of cancer each year; and at anv one moment there were roughly 150 000" persons suffering fiom the disease. These figures represented the annual obliteration of a large town, to «av nothing of the suffering of the victims, and of the burden cast upon the whole community in providing relief and succour. In everv generation more lives were lost from this one single cause than were lost during the four vears of the Great War. And the war against cancer went on continuously, and was fought with but primitive weapons, although patient effort was fortunately creating better ones. "Wild Talk” About Cancer. To the wild talk that cancer was increasing at such a rate that unless some check was applied the race would in the end be destroyed by it, he asked listeners to pay no heed. The fact had to be remembered that people in the mass lived longer than formerly and that, therefore, most people now ran the risk of becoming liable to cancer. There might be, and probably was, in that sense an increase; but it was very small, and ought not to alarm the most timid. In that sense, and in that sense alone, cancer was a disease of civilisation.. But that cancer was a disease of civilisation in any other sense, was untrue; the statement that it was was one of those curious querulous complaints so often made against • a social system which gave consistent supplies of good food, better houses, and more leisure than our forefathers ever enjoyed. Dr. Gye explained that/ the experimental method of studying .cancer was begun 25 years ago, and the honour of it belonged to Denmark. Dr. C. O. Jensen found that tumours. _ true cancers, occurred in mice. Since that primarv discover}’ was made it had been found that cancer occurred in almost all species of namilas, and was independent, broadly speaking, of diet. The disease could be transferred from animal to animal. But a cancer of any one species of animal could be transferred only to another animal of the same species. The inference which had been drawn _ from such knowledge is that each species of animal had its own cancer. And vet thev could find no difference in the fundamental properties between the cancers of one species and those of another. They could not cultivate a microbe which was effective in different species. A Difficult Problem.

The problem was difficult, and this accounted for the belief among those who have endeavoured to study cancer bv methods which have proved successful in oilier diseases, that cancer was independent of the action of microbes, but that it was a subtle change in tile cells of the body and was connected with the processes . of birth, growth, and decay. Certainly almost ‘ all the definitely established knowledge of cancer appeared to oppose the view that the invariable cause was a microbe. It was possible, if the new work, which had received so much public attention, was correct, that in the near future they would have a much more accurate knowledge of the causation of cancer. . If the cause was found, said Dr. Gye, they would no longer fight in the dark. Moreover, they now knew that cancer did not develop suddenly, it was a slow growth, preceded by a long scries of events, which one day would be traced and accurately described. When that had been done tliev would be able to avoid the disease. Tn the future —possibly in the near future —they would discover means of increasing the body’s resistance sufficiently to prevent cancer and that was worth a hard struggle.