CANCER RESEARCH

Greymouth Evening Star, 15 December 1944, Page 3

CANCER RESEARCH

BRITISH PROGRESS REPORT

.LONDON, December 13

Work on growth-inhibitory agents showed dial definite progress was being made towards the prevention of cancer, said Professor F. L. Hopwood, Pi ofessor of Physics at St. Bartholomew’.; Hospital Medical College. lie was speaking at a British Empire Cancer Campaign mei-img. “Regarding the cure of cancer, we can. view the future with ever increasing confidence,” he said. “The year’s work has completely confirmed the value of diethyl-stilboestrol in treating cancer of the prostate gland. In a few. cases breast cancer responded to chemo-therapy, but no extravagant hopes of immediate success in this field should be raised.” After milling the development of new tyres of radiation equipment. Professor Hopwood said: “A prospect is opened up of combining radiation therapy and chemo-therapy in a new method of attack on cancer. New radiations and radio-active substances must also have' applications

to agriculture and industry. Much progress has continued on problems relating to the genesis of cancer. The earlier ’idea that any chronic irritation predisposed to malignancy is o-ivino place to the view that irritation of itself is unlikely to cause cancer or even produce a pre-cancerous state: but that if pre-cancerous state happens to exist, irritation may hasten the appearance of a tumour. The study of the pro-cancerous state, therefore, is of first-rate importance, and is being actively pursued.” The campaign’s headquarters has allocated £40,000 for research in 1945.