EARLY TREATMENT

Evening Post, Volume CIX, Issue 115, 19 May 1925, Page 7

EARLY TREATMENT

SHEET-ANCHOR IN CANCER

CASES

RADIUM INSTALLATION AT WELLINGTON HOSPITAL

STATEMENT BY DR. D. M. WILSON.

Within the next month both the radium and deep X-ray therapy departments at the Wellington Hospital should be fully organised. The Vooms are being prepared and the apparatus is being set up. Dr. E. Marsden, Assistant-Director of "Education and formerly Professor of Physics, Victoria College, is supervising the installation of the delicate apparatus for the reception, storing, and distribution of the radium emanations. For valuable work in this department the Hospital authorities are under deep obligation to him.

. At present radium is being used to a certain extent, as some of the substance was obtained for use in the radium element form. This can be used without waiting for the emanation plant to be set up. Radiuru in this form was used for the first time yesterday morning. A needle containing about £800 worth of radium was used. The costly substance is, after use, removed from the patient, and can be utilised for an indefinite number of patients. About £12,000 worth of radium was recently received by the hospital, and, as already indicated, in. about a month's time, the hospital authorities should be in a position to use and distribute the emanations to other hospitals.

ONE IN EIGHT DEATHS

To a "Post" representative to-day, Dr. D. Macdonald Wilson, medical superintendent of the Wellington Hospital, gave some interesting information in regard to the X-ray and radium treatment of cancer. The disease, is recognised as ono of middle ag_e and old age, although there are occasional cases at earlier periods of life.

Quoting Dr. Ochsuer, from an address delivered at the. recent clinical congress of the American College of Surgeons, held in New York, Dr. Wilson stated that, according to that authority, cancer is practically confined to persons living in civilised communities. Uncivilised people, who have been free from cancer, soon become affected when they come to live in civilised communities. . Domestic animals living in civilised communities also become affected ■with cancer. Wild animals are free. Cancer develops in 'areas subject for a long time to irritation, which may be either mechanical, thermal, or chemical. Cancer rarely occurs in skin covered by clothing. Filth applied either externally or internally influences the occurrence. Clean skins arc rarely the seat of cancer, as shown in the case of the Japanese, who take daily hot baths. Xersons eating vegetables grown in soil fertilised by human excrement suffer largely from cancer of the stomach and colon. The natives of the tropics and the Arctic region are equally free from cancer. This shows that' climatic conditions are not responsible for cancer.

ACTUAL CAUSE NOT ESTAB-

LISHED

The actual cause of cancer has not been established to the satisfaction of those who are most entitled to an opinion.

Heredity seems to have a definite relation to the development of cancer, in that it, at least, provides a predisposition or lack of immunity. Dr Ochsner, however, qualifies that by sayin°that perhaps what seems to be heredity •may be that- the members of the same iamtiy have been exposed to the same type of irritation and the same sources of infection. ...

Iho fact that cancer in plants has been proved to be due to a bacillus, and that another observer lias, isolated a germ which he considers has produced cancer nf lower animals, tends to show that cancer is produced by somo microbe. Dr. Wilson added that, the microbic theory was given up for some time, but is tending to come into the field again. Dr. Wilson pointed out that it is rather remarkable: that perhaps the most comprehensive work on tho subject has been written by Mr. Ellis Barker, a layman, who has analysed in a thorough manner a large portion of. the cancer literature. It is stated by Dr. Ochsner that although to tne experienced clinician .many of tho conclusions must of course lack that which only actual conduct can supply, yet the reasoning is both intensely interesting and instructive. The highest medical authorities in England and America recommend that both the professional and the lay public should Mad this book—"Cancer: How it is Caused; How it Can be Prevented "

X-RAYS AND RADIUM Dr. Wilson explained the difference between X-rays and radium. In tho former case, the X-ray is produced by putting an electrical current through a special tube, from which come the rays of light which are.ablfl to pierce the tissues. These rays had an effect on diseased cells, such as cancer cells. X-rays are used mostly to affect a larger area of the body. Badnim produces its action also by rays winch are given off from the element. Iheso rays are used on the local growth where, it is impossible to plant the radium.. The llction o{ th(J is direct on the cancer growth, and is usually conveyed by means of small needles or laid on the skin in plaques

CANCER CELLS MORE EASILY

DESTROYED

Tiie cancer cells are more easily destroyed than the normal healthy tissue cells. It tile healthy tissue reacted to the radium as the unhealthy does the substance would do too much damage; but "the exposure sufficient to kill the cancer cell is not sufficient to injure the ht althy tissue. The whole difficulty is in boms able to bring the rays to bear on every diseased portion to which tho cancer may have spread. Although some local healing might result, you do not know now far the disease may have spread out of sight.

ADJUNCT TO SURGERY

speaking, said Dr. Wilson, this class of treatment is not coin.' to replace surgery, except under certain condil.ons. .Hie X-ray and radium treatment unwed mainly a., an adjunct to surgeiy. Where cases have been treated by surgery up to the present, and where surgery lms produced favourable results the evidence so far is not strong enough to justify medical men in giving up surgery m lieu of X-ray and radium. But where .surgery has failed, many cases have benefited by the use of radium and A:-ray .tratment, and ifc is quite likely that the field of each will be extended in Ihe future. All that v/e can say just now i? that, the cases in which you can more or less reasonably expect a. cure of canter oy radium can also becujed by aur--

gery. _ The advantage that radium has is that in certain inoperable cases radium has been shown to be of advantage.

SHEET ANCHOR: EARLY TREAT-

MENT

Although it is known to-day that much good results from the use of radium and X-ray treatment, still both are yet too much in the experimental stage to'stiy definitely where their use is going to begin and end. For instance, in cases of superficial skin .cancer, radium will cure just as surgery will cure, only the surgical cure wiil be much quicker. On the other hand, in deep -seated cancers where surgery is not possible, the use of radium has extended the length of life, and has relieved the patient of much pain. The use of radium and X-rays carries us a stage lurther in the relief of these patients, yet it must be understood that such treatment does not by any means displace surgery or imply that in all cases it will be beneficial. Still the sheet-anchor of the treatment of cancer must be: to see the cases early and to back up surgery by X-ray and radium treatment.