, 1913-11-01
CANCER & RADIUM.
Experiments At A London Hospital.
Remarkable Results.
By Our MEDICAL CoRRRspoNDEsr.

By Our MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT.
A series Of most remarkab e improvements
in advanced cancer cases treated by radiuna
has taken place in the past six mouths IN
the Cancer Research wards Of the Mlddlesex
Hospital, London.
Ia an interview on Wednesday one of the
surgical staff accentua ed the necessity for
using the word Improvement" instead of
"eure." eve do not maintain here that
we have cured these cases by radium. What
we have done is to cause growtbs proved
microscoplcally to be cancerous to disap-
pear IN o truly astounding way under the.
radium rays"
The following brief histories I was per-
mitted to copy from the case notebook Of
the hospital. In these, AS IN a dozen othrr
cases OF which they are typical examples,
the generous nature Of the growth has botn
plnced beyond doubt by careful mlcroscopical
exHlnluAtlou:-
HEARING RECLAIMED
|. A man, twenty-seven, from Dover
Admitted August 25 with a large lrcoma-
Bous growth (cancerD blocking up the back
Of the NOSE and throat behind the soft palate.
He lost all sense of smelly coulo not brentAe-
through the nose, and was deaf In the rpht
ear through the growth obstructing the tigy
ar tuGe which connects the back of the.
throat with he ear.
A platinum tube continuing eighty-two
mllligrums of rudium was embedded IN the
tumour and left in position Twelve hours.
Five days later the growth had shrunk per-
ceptbly and the sense of smell and ability
to breathe through the nose were regain d,
On September Is, on examination. with "a
laryngoscope, no traces Of growth couid
be found aud the patient, who bad eQnlneL
his complete hearing, was discharged, APP
parently cured.
GAIN Or l4!LB. WEIGHT.
2. This case, equally interesting, is still
in the hospital. The patient is q woman of
twenty-five, suffering from u large abdominal
sarcoma connective tissue cancer( extending,
from the top Of the left thighbone well over
to the right of the middle line of the,
abdomen.
Twelve Gays ago nm incision was made
down to the growth and u platinum tube.
containing IA milligrams of radium (nlL
that the hospital possesses) waa embedded
III the tumonr aud left for twenty-four,
hours. On admission The patient weighed
5st. 1oz. On Wednesday her weight had
risen to 6st 10oz. md the tnmour had
shruuk to half its size on admission.
APPARENT TONGUE CURE.
8. This case was that Of q dispenser at ono,
of tho special hospitals in London. Noticinto
a hard growth on the back of his tongue he
was examined by a surgeon at one of the
largest London general hospitals and was
told that the growth was an epitheliomn
(cancer) OF the tongue, and was 50 tar nd
Vanced as to DO inoperable. He was admit
ted to the Cancer Research wards of the
Middlesex Hospital on July 81; eighty two.
mlilleralas OF radium in a platinum tube
were embedded in the centre of the growth.
at the base of the tongue. Three weeks later
no signs of the tongue growth could be OBJ
served. and the patient was discharged APP
parent!y cured except for the presence of
two or three secondnrily involved glands
ABOUT tAe coIlar-bone which are to be surgi-
cally removed later if necessary.-Did.