Dresden enterprise and Sharon tribune. (Dresden, Tenn.) 1907-1997, 1921-11-04
NATIONAL CANCER
WEEK OBSERVANCE
Continued from first page)

, gradually reduces it's victims tt
such condition that nothing what
ever can be done for him, save pal
liative measures to relieve his ago
n.y. He is hopelessly ill and will Ger
tainly die. But this is only after tn,
cancer has become fully developed
In its early stages there were plenty
OF chances to cure the patient. The
best of these chances was at the
very start, before the lump, the
pre-cancerous wart or ulcer or
bruise had become a genuine can
Ger. But there were still good
chances after it had become a gen.
uine cancer, but before it had begun
to spread. Once that spreading had
begun, the patients outlook began
to be dark. Slowly the odds against
him mounted up until they were be-
yond hundred to one. But at the
start the odds in favor of him were
greater.
The precancerous lesion-the
lump, the wart, or ulcer, or unheal-
ed bruise or burn-behaves differ
emily in different cases. Sometimes
it remains harmless indefinitely
and the patient dies years after
wards of some disease other than
cancer. Sometimes a cancer devel-
ops within a few weeks. Sometimes
it takes years. But the precancer-
GUS lesion is always menacing-it is
always sword suspended over the
patients head. He should get rid of
it while there is yet plenty of time,
for once it is gone no cancer will
develop where it was. A good doc
tor will be able to decide what it is,
and how dangerous it is; no layman
can hope to do so without grave
risk of fatal error. If it is of inno-
cent variety, simple and painless
treatment will usually dispose of it.
If it is neglected and cancer ap-
pears, then only the most radical
treatment can cope with it. And in
it's later stages not even the most
appalling operation can do more
than prolong the patients life. A
lesion is always cura-
ole. An early cancer is usually cur
able. But a late cancer is usually
absolutely hopeless.
: The records of every hospital
how steadily the patients chances +
# recovery decline. In some varie-
les of cancer, in the early stages,
Yearly every patient who submits to
roper treatment gets well, and the
majority of them stay we'll. But as
ach successive stage is reached the '
of recoveries falls and
Oward the last stage it falls sud-
emily to zero. This last stage comes
yhen the original cancer begins to
end out colonies. These colonies
tart other cancers elsewhere-us-
ally in the internal organs, beyond
he reach of operation. The patient
tarting with one cancer, now has
lany cancers, and it is quite hope
sss to try to remove them. All
rat can be done for him is to try
, relieve some of the terrible suf-
ering of his last days. At first it
always local and at one place on
The enormous study that has
cen given to the problem in late
ears has shown surgeons how to
cal with it, and so the struggle
yainst the disease begins to be
,peful. 1t can be cured-if taken
time. But the time to take it is
fore it has definitely developed
in the stage of warning. A COM h
g cancer almost always gives a
arning beforehand. The patient is tt
nscious that there is something "
rong. A lump is felt, there is a P
owth on his lip or a sore spot on "
S tongue, or pain in one of his
ints or bones, or a wart or a mole
mewhere on his skin, or burn, P