Evening star., 1959-11-27
CANCER
Continued From First Page

. = SAAA - ~ = - SoN
creased incidence of lung
cancer.
"2. Cigarette smoking par
ticularly is associated with an
increased chance Of developing
lung cancer.
"3. Stopping cigarette smok-
ing even after long exposure is
beneficial.
a. No method of treating to-
> bacco or f1ltering the. smoke
has been demonstrated to be
effective in materially reducing
or eliminating the hazard of
lung cancer. ...
IS. The nonsmoker has a
lower incidence of lung cancer
than the smoker in all con-
trolled studies, whether an
alyzed in terms of rural areas,
urban regions, industrial oc-
cupations or sex.
"6. Persons who have never
esmoked at all cigarettes, ci-
gars or pipe) have the best
chance of escaping lung cancer.
81. Unless the use of tobacco
can be made safe, the individ-
--ual persons risk of lung cancer
can best be reduced by the
elimination Of smoking"
Air Pollution Also Blamed
DR.. Burney said recent SCI
, entiflc studies also point to air
pollution-from car exhausts,
industrial smog and so on
as additional causative factors
in rising lung cancer.
Since non-smokers also get
lung cancer, he noted, it is
obvious that other factors are
involved.
r The link between smoking
and lung or mouth cancer has
been supported largely by
statistical evidence until rela-
lively recently" DR.. Burney
Said,. adding:
This in itself has seemed
conclusive to many investiga-
tors, although the mechanism
of cancer growth in the lung
has never been demonstrated.
IF the smoking hypothesis
is valid it should be possible to
show a sequence of events,
started by cigarette smoke,
which leads to the development
of lung cancer. The same
course coud be initiated by the
inhalation of carcinogens (can-
cer-causing agents. from pol
luted air.
Several recent investiga-
tionS lend support to such a
concept"
AS footnotes to his article,
DR.. Burney cited 81 scientific
studies in the field to support
his conclusions.
DR.. Little in his rebuttal
added that to-day, more than
ever before, scientific evidence
is accumulating that conflicts
with or fails to support the
smoking theories of lung can
GER"
Omissions Charged
MANY of these have been
{ omitted from or CLOSED over
in the Public Health Service
article" DR.. Little said, adding
that within recent months
. new evidence has been pre-
sented that: E.
81. Finds that people de-
scribed as the worlds heaviest
cigarette smokers have low
lung cancer death rates COM
pared with people who smoke
less but have been long ex-
posed to urban air pollution
"2. Shows that direct inhala-
ton of tobacco smoke by Ia
boratory animals over long pc
riods of time has not resulted
in causing lung cancers in
these animals.
"3. Reveals that human lung
tissues undergo changes, con-
sidered suspicious by some
that are found among both
young and old, in non-smokers
and smokers. while lung tissues
may be perfectly normal in
heavy smokers 1
4. Confirms the long estab-
lished but little publieized fact
that lung cancer occurs more
2renquently In people who have
a medical history of previou:
serious lung ailments, such as
tuberculosis. pneumonia, anc
influenza, indicating a relation.
ship OF possible significance. >
DR.. Little said despite these
recent research trends" thu
conclusions set forth in tht
Public Health Service Review
rely almost entirely on pas