CANCER RESEARCH

Taranaki Daily News, 13 December 1932, Page 5

CANCER RESEARCH

EFFECTS OF RADIUM. , . THE AMOUNT OF DOSAGE'/ . <•/:.■, . London,. 0ct.™20.. The tenth scientific report published by the Imperial Cancer Research Fund is a volume of some 200 pages, which embody the results of the investigations carried out during the past three years by Dr. J. A. Murray, Dr. H. G. Crab-, tree, Dr. W. Cramer and Dr. R. J. Ludfofd. ' • ' :i ' ; The work is carried on under ' the direction of the Royal Colleges of Phy-; sicians and Surgeons, and has been agoing .on for a longer time than that of the large group of research centres assembled under the British Cancer Campaign. Research is concentrated chiefly on the artificial production, culture,.and transplantation of mammalian cancer. The present report is confined to an. interesting series of > observations on ; vital staining and the effects of radium • both bn the normal and the cancer cell.

Interpreting this highly technical' report for the ordinary newspaper reader, the medical correspondent of the Daily Telegraph says:— , “It has been found experimentally that, in many types of cancer,, particularly of certain organs, radium has had a remarkable effect. • “The method of its action, however, has remained to a great extent unknown; and it has generally been believed that, for some mysterious reason, cancer cells were more susceptible to its action than normal, cells. Drs. Crabtree, Cramer and Ludford would now appear .to have demonstrated that this is a . fallacy; . and they have shown that the destructive' power of radium is of a twofold character. .

“They have known that the primary effect of the radium. emanations on the living cell is a disorganisation .of that part of its atomic structure which is cftjjQeiped la - ,

words, it destroys , the respiratory or breathing-power- of. the cell, and thus leads to its. ultimate death. ./ : " ; “But it .also has .a. secondary and scarcely, less\ important, effect. ; Every ' malignant tumouris' embedded •. in, and inter-penetrated;'!; by, normal connective tissue^the',tissue;that contains the blood vessels up<?n which it depends' for its nutrition. . . ? ; . ■ . '.“Now the ' observers., of the .Imperial Qancer Research. Fund..have, shown/that this,'too, :is affected by the radium emanation. The . blood vessels ‘are damaged, thus interfering with the < general nutrition,: of the tumour, 5 even before ■ the cells of. the latter ’ been destroyed by the direct action; of-the; radiuip. : : “Moreover,, this damage ; brings < upon the scene ’.large numbers: ofthe -. body’s natural defence ■ cells... ‘With, the; object of - repair, these ■ make • their fytay •. between the groups of tumour cells,, and isolate or replace them .with-scar tissue.. ,' : “From the practical point , of ',view/ of .'the radiolQgist, this is an observation of. the 'first; importance. 'lt ; means j that his dosage, need not be so . severe as directiy : to Kill every tpmour: cell;; and, indeed, it may well be. that, such a dosage 'would so damage the connective'.tissue as to interfere ..with, or; prevent, , the natural reinforcements'of the body. “Even more interesting is the fact "that radium can in some cases preveht cancer. ■ It- is' well kriown '■ that.' prolonged irritation with tar will produce/cancer upon, the skin of mice; and a vast .experience has enabled the Imperial Cancer Research Fund observers ' to tell, -with a high degree of certainty, the point at which a treated skin is on the verge of becoming cancerous. Dr. Cramer '■ has shown, ’ however, that: if at this stage radium is - applied, the development ’of cancer is not only delayed, but in some cases prevented altogether.”/