Evening star., 1942-07-20
Three hewC|ues
To Cancer Found at
New York Hospital
Experts Study Starvation,
Chemicals for Effect on
Diseased Cells Growth
Nv HOWARD w. BLAKESLEE,
wide World Science Editor.

Nv HOWARD w. BLAKESLEE,
wide world Science Editor.
NEW YORK. July 20.-Following
4 sex homone clue to cancer, Me-
mortal Hospital has isolated from
human beings, with help of Harvard
University. number Of hitherto
unknown chemicals.
Although the chemical nature of
these x substances is still unknown,
they are different when taken from
people with cancer than from non-
cancerous individuals. All have been
found in urine.
This is one of three dramatic new
attacks on cancer described today
In the report of DR.. C. P. Rhoads,
director of Memorial Hospital, the
oldest cancer institute in America.
The second Is starvation of cancer
cells, a possibility based on discover
les of extra amounts of vitamins in
cancer cells or of vitamin upsets in
cancer.
The third is a group of chemicals
which. in glass tubes, hinder the
without interfering with healthy
tissue growth.
Partial Picture Obtained.
The report says that the years
OF animal and human cancer ex-
periments have now at last tied
together a discernible picture of
cancer-one with gaps, but clearer
than ever before available.
The picture is somewhat as fol-
lows" the director says: Some
thing goes wrong with the manufac-
ture in the body of those chemicals
which are similar In structure to
the sex hormones.
The error in manufacture gives
rise to small quantities, of COM
pounds which, by their structure
possess the power of changing nor
NAL into cancer cells"
The trail which led to this pic
.ture started years ago with the dis
.coverY that tar can cause skin
cancer Next. tar hydrocarbons were
isolated. They were the cancer pro-
ducers. Then these hydrocarbons
were identified as closely similar to
the structure of human sex hor-
mones.
The body excretes hormones and
also the chemicals produced by
hormones. The excretions may be
very minute. But these tiny frac-
tions are likely to contain the can
cer-causing things. It is a simple
Idea, the report points out, to look
for these. But really the job is one
Of the most difficult In chemistry.
Research Is Expensive.
The study at Memorial. despite
the significant clues already un-
covered. is enormously expensive,
requires a large, highly trained staff
and great outlay for chemicals
and equipment 1t is predicted this
one Job will take from one to sew
eral years more.
The idea of starving cancer cells
comes from two facts: One, that
germs eat the same food as men:
two, the peculiar way sulfanilamide
kills germs. The germs require a
different selection Of food, and a
diet that might be- enough for q
man may starve some of his germs.
Sulfanilamide, it is found. does
something like this to germs. 1t
cuts down their oxygen.
Tissue cells are not greatly. differ
ent from germs. They absorb food,
they breathe by taking in oxygen.
So Memorial has been studying the
foodstufTs in cancer cells to see
whether they differ from normal.
! Already a vitamin A difference
has been found connected with hu-
man stomach cancer. Much more
definite is difference found in the
blood cancer cells which form leu
kemia. Those malignant cells con-
tain a much higher than normal
amount OF vitamin B-1.
This leads to hope that either
vitamin starvation, or some other
form of partial starvation. may be
found more damaging to cancer
than to healthy tissue.
Chemicals Tried on Cancer.
Here again the chemical job is
enormous. The cancer cells are SO
small that it takes microscope to
see them. The chemist has to dis
cover what goes on in single can
Ger cell, and decide how 1t differs
from the doings inside a healthy
one.
The third attack is not scientific
but Just rule of thumb. There are
hundreds OF thousands of chemicals
Many are lethal to living tissues
Memorial is trying them. one at a
time, on cancer. Seventy have been
tried so far.
This is safe because it can be done
In glass tubes. Cancer cells, or
cancer tissues, can be Kept alive
for months In tube So can nor
NAL tissues. The Memorial scien.
lists feed the test chemicals to the
tubes and watch for differences.
One type of chemical, not further
described, has been found which
affects human cancer differently
than it does healthy breast tissue
In the same concentration, IL inter
feres with the health Of the cancer
but not Of the breast.
This effect does not come from 6
single chemical, but from a number
of different ones, and in each cast
is due to certain structure which
Is alike In all the chemicals.
The results may have far-reach'
Ing significance the director de-
clares. They prove apparentl,
that there is real difference be-
tween cancer cells and normal CELL
in their sensitivity to certain type
OF chemicals. The cancer Is mor'
sensitive and can be killed by com
pounds which do not kill norma
tissue"