FIGHT TO CHECK CANCER

Evening Star, Issue 19892, 14 June 1928, Page 1

FIGHT TO CHECK CANCER

EMPIRE CAMPAIGN Cancer kills 10 per cent, of the population of England_and Wales — 53,202 dying of the disease in 1926, out of a total mortality of 453,804. This means that - one out of every seven persons , who reach the age of thirty years Mies of cancer, the origin of which is unknown. Indeed, Sir William Milligan, an authority on the subject, goes so far as to say that if this rate of progress is not checked, the mortality from cancer in a hundred years will exceed that of all other diseases combined. In a thousand years cancer may annihilate the human race. In Australia; tho number of deaths from cancer has increased continuously to 5,477 in. 1925. Tho great majority were among persons over thirty-five years of age, the’ maximum age-group being between sixty and seventy-five. The death rate for males was higher than that for females in every State except: Victoria. Ceylon has the lowest death rate from this cause—eight per 100,006. Australia’s figure in 1925 was 9.2, The highest rates are those of England and- Wales, 135, Scotland 136, and Denmark 140. For purposes of comparison tho year 1925 has been taken throughout AN UPHILL FIGHT. This is the state of affairs which the British. Empire Cancer Campaign has set itself to combat. Its activities have been strengthened ay the formation Of a council for Lancashire, Cheshire, and North Wales. As the result of a direct appeal made by Prince Henry to a meeting at Manchester, money- and promises to : the amount of £66,000 were received for the purpose of prosecuting tho war on one of fho oldest and most deadly enemies of the race of man. ... It was familiar to the ancient Persians and Indians, and a papyrus written fifteen hundred years before tho Christian era contains a description of it ; upon which few modern experts , could improve. The more civilised a country, the more prone its people seem to be to fall victims of the disease. Primitive races appear to bo almost immune front it. ,In the industrial districts of England and elsewhere it sometimes, like purely occupational diseases, affects specific portions of.the body. NOTABLE ADVANCES. The aim of the speakers at the Manchester meeting was to_ convince their hearers that the campaign was by no means without hope of success. It was emphasised that within twentyfive years the incidence of tuberculosis had been reduced by half. Prince Henrv pointed out that medical science williin the past few years had many notable advances. By discovering the origins of malaria, and plague it had saved thousands of lives. Knowledge of tho causes of cancer was still imperfect, and its treatment presented difficult problems; but the undertaking was not hopeless. When tho secrets of its power had been learned, its ravages could be checked. Sir William Milligan echoed the sanguine note sounded by Prince Henry, and said that the public were not educated as. to what were the fundamental symptoms and tho initial indications of the disease. If they could be taught to understand that it was a local disease, and remained local for a considerable time, and that the only cure at present known was the removal of the. primary growth, there would he far fewer deaths. THE ONLY SAFEGUARD.

There was. a dread in the public mind of being told that a certain growth was of a cancerous nature, and consequently people feared-to' seek adbice because they, might find some form of ’ operation was necessary. Further, there was a peculiar feeling of modesty, especially among women, which prevented them taking any advice at all until it was too late. It must be remembered that if the proliferation of the disease extended to adjacent tissues and organs operative removal became practically impossible. .The only safeguard was immediate treatment and -immediate removal of the growth. If it were removed before its prolongation extended into the tissues, nine but of ten of the sufferers would be alive and well ten years after operative.treatment. But if adjacent organs bad become affected; nine out of fori would be dead in ten years’ time