Evening star., 1938-12-15
Of Stors, Men
And Atoms
Notebook Of Science Progress
In Field, Laboratory
And Study
By Thomas r. Henri.

And Study
BY Thomas r. Henry.
A committee of five Of the country's
leading medical scientists, appointed by
Surgeon General Thomas Parran, have
| just taken stock" of the status of scien-
tific knowledge Of cancer as a guide for
the research program Of the National
| Cancer Institute.
They have prepared clear-cut state
ment Of the known and the vastly greater
| unknown about one Of mankinds most
dangerous enemies.
The committee was composed of the
following: DR.. Stanhope Bayne-Jones,
dean of the Yale University Medical
School; DR.. Ross @. Harrison, professor
OF biology at Yale; DR.. Clarence c. Little,
director Of the Roscoe B. Jackson Me-
mortal Laboratory at Bar Harbor, Me-,
and Drs. John Northrop and James B.
Murphy OF the Rockefeller Institute for
Medical Research.
A summary Of the committees conclu-
sions has just been prepared by DR.. Carl
Voegtlin, chief Of the National Cancer
Institute, which may be considered as a
jumpingof point for future advances
Perhaps the greatest problem as revealed
by the summary, is the nature of the
mechanism which perpetuates q malig-
nant growth once it has been established,
regardless Of the original causative agent.
This remains, up to the present. a COM
plete mystery. Lots Of things will cause
normal body cells to become malignant.
Something else again Is necessary to
keep them malignant, and the discovery
OF this factor would constitute An enor-
nous advance in understanding OF the
condition and, perhaps, Of its eventual
conquest.
Whatever may be the contributing
cause" the report indicates that "malig-
nancy once acquired becomes a fixed
character Of the cell. As shown by the
study Of transplants in animals and in
tissue culture, the continuation of the
condition is not dependent on the factors
which were responsible for its devel-
opment. The cells will continue their
malignant course uninterruptedly with
out the continued presence of carcino-
genie agents in hosts without endocrine
disturbance, liver distinction, or action
OF estrogenic hormones. For instance,
transplanted mammary gland cancers
| grow as we'll IN the male animal as in
the female. Not only does the malignant
state become . fixed character, but the
type, the tendency to distinct astrological
QrrQnOnrNanf r. i,,u ciu
| and general behavior are more or less
constant for each tumor.
"All this points to the conclusion that
malignancy, once 1t becomes established
IN cell becomes an automatic process,
independent Of continuously acting
! agent OF outside origin, and that the
new character Of the cell becomes a fixed
one which is passed unchanged to its
| descendants.
attempts to establish fundamental
differences between normal and malig-
nant cells Of the same tissue type have
failed to bring out any striking varia-
tion IN chemical makeup, engine con-
tent metabolism or structure Even
transplantation Is limited by the same
laws governing normal tissues and fac
tors which influence the growth of can
Ger gratis are equally effective in their
influence on the growth Of normal tissue
gratis"
There is complete lack Of evidence, DR..
Voegtlin says that any type Of mammal
cancer is Infectious. It has been shown
definitely that no part In its progress is
played by protozoa or bacteria Cancer
cells have never been known to infect
even normal body cells of the same ami
NAL with which they are brought in init
mate contact.
Many agents are known which play
part in the production of cancer-such
as various tar products, X-rays, certain
hormones, etc. Apparently no type of
body cell is immune to the destructive
change. "Malignancy apparently is
universal cell potentiality."
Some claims have been made that
cancer Is = virus disease Actually this
never has been demonstrated, 1t is
stressed, in any form of mammalian or
human malignant tumor.
Cancer heredity also remains highly
complex problem. Experiments with
mice snow clearly that some pure strains
are more susceptible to certain kinds
OF malignant growths than others, but
it cannot be said that the cancer itself
is directly transmitted Rather, the
evidence indicates, "the inherited state
is an unstable or poorly balanced cell
system confined to an organ or tissue
type, in which the specific cells tend to
become malignant either from functional
strain or unfavorable environmental con-
ditions"
For example, strain of mice has been
developed the females of which show a
high incidence Of cancer of the breast
with the normal rate of breeding. When
this is forced the rate goes up. When
breeding is prevented altogether it may
become very low
Reply to Letter Of
War Veteran.
TO the EDITOR Of The Star:
have just read war veterans letter,
that OF Leon G, Mcdonald. in yo,lr issue