CANCER STUDY PROGRESS

Taranaki Daily News, 19 June 1934, Page 6

CANCER STUDY PROGRESS

CONFERENCE TRANSACTIONS NO MEETING WIDER IN ITS SCOPE. NEW ZEALAND RESEARCH TO BEGIN HIGH QUALIFICATION NECESSARY. By Telegraph—Press Association. Wellington, Last Night. ‘Comments on the transactions of the fifth Australian cancer conference having a bearing on the cancer problem in New Zealand are contained in a report released for publication to-day by the Minister of Health, Hon. J. A. Young. The report was prepared by the president of the New Zealand branch of the British Empire Cancer Campaign, Dr. J. S. Elliott, and the professor of pathology at the University of Otago, Professor E. F. Dath, who were two of New Zealand s representatives at the conference held at Canberra in April. The other delegates ( representing the Dominion were Drs. C. Fenwick, De Monchaux and Harvey, and Mr. J.’ A. Strong M.Sc. The authors of the report state it is no exaggeration to say it is doubtful if Europe with all its resources could produce a conference on cancer wider in its scope, more informative dr more authoritative than the fifth Australian cancer conference. . “The Australians are very advanced in the study of dosage and screenage and our New Zealand radiologists who .attended the conference were much impressed.” Report proceeds, “Original work in this form of research will soon begin in our research laboratory at Dunedin under Dr. A. W. Begg and his assistants.” The report states that the conference was unanimous that is so powerful for good or evil and so complex a study that except for the treatment of superficial growths the operation should only be carried out by surgeons with the qualification of training in radio-therapy also. At Melbourne a curriculum for this combined training is being established. The New Zealand branch of the British Empire Cancer Campaign invited Mr. W. H. Moran, Sydney, a noted authority, to come to New Zealand to lecture. The report concludes by stating that the Australian representatives had spoken approvingly of the organisation of the cancer campaign in New Zealand and of the results so far achieved in this Dominion. “While we in New Zealand nave much to learn in certain phases of Australian t progress in cancer campaign, we have the melancholy satisfaction that Australian cancer clinics treated 3081 new cases from 1928 to 1933 and New Zealand cancer clinics treated 2800 new cancer cases in the shorter period from 1930 to 1933. “The Australian cancer conference revealed’little that was new in the nature and cause of cancer, a subject in which hope is still deferred, * but as regards treatment the conference brought forward much that shows substantial improvement in results and that augurs well for future progress.”