CANCER CURABLE IF DIAGNOSED SOON ENOUGH

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 13, Issue 3, 4 October 1948, Page 7

CANCER CURABLE IF DIAGNOSED SOON ENOUGH

Addressing the cancer campaign meeting on Wednesday night, Dr E. T. Dawson, Medical Superintendent of the District Hospital, Whakatane, gave some medical details of the disease, with emphasis on the points that it was not contagious, infectious or hereditary and was curable after early diagnosis. Dr Dawson said cancer was a great bugbear to many people. They went to the doctor saying they feared they had cancer, or emulated the ostrich, and said to themselves "‘Wait and see.” The danger of this with cancer was that it is early diagnosis and treatment that is so important. Neglected cancer is relentless and sooner or later the patient succumbs Dr Dawson explained the development of cells in the human body, and that some cells, gojng back to the embryonic stage in certain circumstances, may form tumours and a cancer. The Doctor emphasised that cancer is not contagious, infectious, or hereditary, but -there does appear a tendency in some families to develop cancer. For the most part cancer is a disease of post middle age. When cases occur in young people the disease is generally rapid and'fatal. He said there were several danger signals which, if ignored, could lead to cancer. ' Any sore on the face or lip, not curing; any unusual lump or swelling, especially in the female breast, any abnormal discharge from any opening of the body, especially if tinged with blood, and any change in the texture colour and size of warts should be ivestigated. If treated early with radium they could be cured. Recurring indigestion also should be investigated, it may be the beginning of stomach or bowel cancer. The Doctor said certain things could help to avoid cancer. The mouth should be kept clean, and there should be no jagged edges on teeth to cause constant irritation to tongue and . cheek; artificial dentures should fit well. / Excessive smoking was also a danger. There was much cancer of the lip when clay pipes were in constant use. Avoidance of all food very hot or very highly seasoned was a wise precaution, and if, something consistently disagreed with one, one should leave it alone.: Barium meals were used to detect internal cancer. Where a piece of skin or flesh could be removed it could be sent away for microscopic examination. Cancer could be cured by ‘radium, surgery and deep X-Ray therapy. Quack treatments caused delay in correct treatment and could be lethal.. There are consultation committees in the cities where patients can be sent for examination by experts. Cancer is not such a horrible disease as some imagine. In the later stages certainly it is terrible, as cancer poisons the whole, system, the fatty tissues disappear, and the patient is mere skin and bone.