Evening star., 1952-03-18
Third Of a Series.

to cure. They are called "silent'
tumorS, because they grow with.
out signs or symptoms. BY the
time they are discovered, they are
no longer early and, too often, nc
longer durable.
For this reason, science is seek
ing ways of detecting cancers
while they are still early, and
durable.
Test Might Save Half.
Some sources estimate thai
more than half Of those who now
die OF cancer would be cured il
there were a simple test which
would show up early cancers.
In such universities as Harvard
Minnesota and Pittsburgh, scores
of radioactive elements are beine
tested for their ability to concen-
trate in fast-growing tumor It's
sues.
Some of these off-weight ele-
mentS, or isotopes, will collect in
tumors and certain cancers. Can
GERS take 10 to 20 or more times
as much of some radioactive iso-
topes as does normal tissue. The
isotopes emit rays but unfor-
tunately for diagnostic purposes,
the rays are usually so soft and
so short that recording instru-
ments must be within a fraction
Of an inch to detect their pres
ence. Thus, the presence Of
tumors deep in the lung or stom-
ach, even though loaded with
radioactive material, would not be
suggested by a Geiger counter.
A Few Exceptions.
Happily, there are a few ex-
ceptions. Iodine, injected into
the blood, will quickly collect in
the thyroid gland. In some cases
particularly when the thyroid
has been removed-iodine will be
taken up by thyroid cancer col
onies wherever they are in the
body. The rays of one form of
radioiodine are short, the rays
Of another iodine isotope travel
long distances.
Tumors near the surface can
be detected by soft ray counters.
And now new and super
sensitive device called a scintilla-
tion counter can catch the hard,
fast-f1ying rays from compare
lively great distances.
The sensitive scintillation coun-
ter already seems to be proving
its worth in detecting brain
tumors. When two scintillation
counters are pointed at each other
from opposite sides Of the skull,
they register the positrons-rays
which fly far and fast at 100 de-
gree angles from one another.
Radioactive boron atoms split
this way. Some boron isotopeS
concentrate a little more in brain
tumors than they do in normal
nerve tissue.
Scintillation Counter Hopeful.
The Scintillation counter may
greatly improve cancer detection
generally if positron-emitting or
hard ray-emitting isotopes are
found to concentrate in other
kinds of tumors.
During the last few years,
scientists have developed a tech
nique of searching body fluids
under the microscope for telltale
cancer cells.
Cancer cells from the lung have
been found in saliva and washingsl
of the tubes to the lungs.
They have been found in slnears
taken from the uterine cervix.
Any accessible body fluid canI
be scanned for cancer cells.
Cornell Medical School investi-
gators have even devised a tech
nique of having the patient swal-
low a balloon, blowing up the
balloon in the stomach, debating
and removing the balloon and ex-
the cells which cling toI
it.
'BiOpsy' Is Still Standard.
This type of detection does notl
replace the standard "biopsy"-
shipping off a bit of suspect tissue
and examining it under the micro
scope. But it is regarded as a
splendid conf1rmatory practice.
And 1t is turning up some early
and easily cured cancers.
The ideal detection test would
be a blood. urine. or other fluid
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