THE CANCER SCOURGE

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 76, Issue 179, 1 August 1933, Page 9

THE CANCER SCOURGE

AFFECTION OF THE LIPS. INVESTIGATIONS IN BRITAIN. The possibility of smoking being responsible for lip cancer among women is mentioned by Sir George Newman, Chief McQical Officer of Health, in a prefatory note to a British Ministry report on cancer of the skin issued a few weeks ago. The annual number of deaths for England and Wales in males, Sir George stated, was roughly 12 times as high as in females —about 286 as against 23 at the present time —the percentage of deaths from lip cancer to the total for cancer in males being 1.1, and in females 0.1. Since no appreciable difference between the sexes in respect. of curability had been demonstrated, it could be taken that the incidence was considerably higher in males. Cancer in the lower lip in both sexes outnumbered that of the upper lip in the ratio of, perhaps, 20 to 1. Cancer in the upper lip was relatively more frequent in women than in men, which caused reflections on causation. Occupational risk seemed to play little part, in the male predominance. “Tobacco smoking had long rested under suspicion,” Sir George continued, “not necessarily the effect upon the tissues of the product of combustion — a matter still under investigation—but the result of repeated minor injuries ami burns. Minor injuries as the result of shaving have also been given some significance. “Conceptions of this kind leave unexplained the higher rate for the upper lip in women. No single satisfactory explanation of these, seemingly stable differences of incidence has been ad vancod, and they may well be the resultant of a number of factors, some still undt terminod.’’ It, was said tint if tobacco-smoking was to some extent responsible for lip cancer the growth of the habit among women in recent years will provide further evidence, but in view of the long ■‘latent period” required for the pro duetion of cancer by similar means, such evidence might not become available in convincing amount, for a generation or more. The high curability rate of skin can-

cer resulted in its accounting for i; low proportion only of the total deaths dm to cancer —less than 2.5 per cent, ii males and 1.5 per cent, in females. Thilo w, proportion had remained remark ably steady over the whole period cov cred by the national records, and trans lated into actual deaths, may be stall-I as rather more than GOO for males am over 400 for females at the present time.