Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1914-06-11
RADTUM AND CANCER.

The radium, treatment OF cancer has
aroused public discussion only equaled
l in sensationalism by the popular furore
over the Friedman treatment for tu-
I berculosis. That this substance has
some value in the treatment OF can
/ Ger cannot be denied. but unfortunately
I the public has gotten an exaggerated
impression of fits effects and radium
/ has been hailed as the long-waited spe-
cific cure for malignant disease. In
the belief that a statement OF results
would be useful, the American Society
for the Control of Cancer recently
asked DIR. II. II. Janewsy OF New York
to prepare an article on this subject
which has just been published in the
Journal of the American Medical AS
ISOLATION.
Dr.. Janeway discusses the results Sc
cured with radium at the four princi-
pal institutions in Europe where 1t
has been employed under the most IA
voTd0ic conditions, viz, Paris, London.
Vienna and Heidelberg. The reports
from each of these European institutes
justify the statement that radium ex-
erts a selective and destructive action
on the majority of cancers, but that
this cotton never reaches to the more
distant extensions OF the deeper and
more serious forms OF the disease. In
fact there Is good ground for belief
that unless the greatest care is used in
the application of radium the more
distant portions of the cancer will be
stimulated TO more actual growth. All
users OF radium emphatically express
IL. nv
cept those of the skin should be treat
ed by radium in preference TO opera
ton. The true position OF radium at
present is that it does not cure the
disease unless the cancer is superficial
or IS of a variety particularly suscepi-
BILE 10 its influence.
For the last nine years DR.. Wick
ham of Paris has treated 1000 cancer
patients at the Laboratoire biologique
du radium, and has found that while
the influence OF radium on all types
OF cancer is favorable, its effects do
not extend to the limits of the disease
in any but the most superficial varie-
ties. The Radium Institute of Lon
don treated 467 cases during 1912. No
patient has been classified as cured, /
since cancer is not regarded as cured /
until at least three years have elapsed !
without recurrence of the disease. OF |
IO1 patients with the slow-growing. be- |
nign form Of cancer OF the skin, 81 |
were apparently cured, Al were i'm /
proved and IL did not improve. In /
cancer OF the rest or the body. 10 /
cases were apparently cured. 156 i'm
proved, and 40 which did not improve. /
At the Vienna Radium institute. OF "a |
patients treated for all forms OF can
Ger. six died during the treatment. II
wore essentially improved. six were
slightly improved and three were made
y orse. At the Samaritan hospital in
Improvement was produced
IN about half Of the cases. but no pa
lent was cured. The establishment
II the fact that we have IN radio-ac-
ivity an agent which will even specif-
calIy affect cancer IS OF very great
Importance. No other agent has been
iiscoy cred which in any degree APP
,roaches it's effectiveness. But from
he evidence at hand. it is clear that
t present radium may only supple
lent but not replace. surgical treat
nent.