Evening star., 1947-12-26
Two New Drugs Slow
Cancer Temporarily,
Lessen Pain for Few
BY the Associoted Press

Definite leSsening of pain in |
"few" among so cases of advanced
cancer and caner-like diseases treat
q with either of two new-but still
experimentai-SubSt is report
ID by team of Boston researchers.
The scientists emphasized in a
preliminary report, however, that 1t
is still too early to attempt any
,valuation of the action of the ma
terials on the actual course of such
diseases.
This is in line with the caution
OF other competent cancer authori-
ties who point out that various
chemical substances have been able
to lessen cancer pain-and even
cause temporary decrease in ma
lignant growth-but have failed to
cure the disease.
The new substances are closely
relate1 synthetic compounds called
"pteroyltriglutamic acid" and ''pte-
rogldiglumatic acid" They have
been prepared by a chemical firm
(American CynanamidD for expert
mental study under the names "te-
ropterin" and "diopterin," respec-
lively.
DR.. Sidney Farber of Boston, and
six colleagues, described studies they
had made in report in the
technical journal Science"
Required Less Pain Treatment.
They said that in a few instances
there was "a definite diminution in
pain" after one or the other sub
stance was used This pain-lessen-
ing was indicated by the fact that
those few patients required less of
the sedation and analgesia pain
relieving treatmenD they had been
getting previously.
They noted, too, that adult
patients in the group generally ex-
perienced Improvement in energy,
appetite, sense of well-being, and
appeared to demonstrate less r-
ritability and apprehension"
They qualified this, however, by
stating that in many instances such
effects might we'll be ascribed to a
psychological lift the patients got
from receiving an unusual treat
ment.
AS to observations regarding the
possible effect of the glutamic COM
pounds on the appearance of a
tumor itself, the scientists said that
in a few instances, there was a
temporary decrease in the size of
secondary growth formations
stemming from primary tumors
And, in some tumors examined after
death there was evidence that some
tumor cells had previously de-
generated.
Changes Not Constant.
In some of the cases where such
changes were noted, other treat
ment-such as radiation-had also
been employed. But there was sug-
gestive evidence that the glutamic
compounds had played IAN impor-
tant part" in producing the few
chages noted.
Such changes" the researchers
said, have been by no means con-
slant. They have occurred fire.
quently enough, however, to war
rant further experimental studies oi
the action of these and of related
compounds on patients with cancer
No evidence has been pre-
sented in this report to suggest that
these substances should be employed
in the routine therapy of patients
with cancer"
: They said they had no evidence
that the substances in themselves
were toxic, and they declared they
could be giveneasily through intra-
muscular or intravenous admins
tration.
The 80 patients who received the
new materials were patients for
whom established therapeutic pro-
cedures offered no hope of cure"
Twenty-seven of them have died