HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Goderich Signal-Star, 1977-03-31, Page 51Soc
luta
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out!
the
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Page 11
million needed in 1977
Canadian Cancer
has invested more
$30,000,000 in cancer
ch. Annual ex -
res have risen to
imately $4,000,000 per
hat are we getting for
ney?
ng the obvious answers
e "Cobalt Bomb",
ped in Canada and
to the world; a drug
VLB, recognized as
a select group of drugs
e against cancer; and
utions to the control of
of the cervix by mass
ng programs.
ng the less apparent
s is, for example, an
us method for coun-
ncer cells, a technique
ered a milestone
hout the scientific
In spite of this wide
, it is difficult to
iate its full
ance since scientists
my just begun to ex -
e technique.
imple blood test to
early cancer of the
s undergoing intensive
gation. This test was
ed in a Canadian,
tory and is of par -
importance since
of the colon and
cause over 4,000
each year in Canada.
based on the ob-
on that these cancers
e a special chemical
und, called an antigen,
is not 'produced by
1 tissue or by other
f cancer and which can
cted when present in a
tration equal to one
onful in a million
of water.
er t=ells release minute
les of this special
cal into the blood
and it appears likely
e bloodAest will be able
ct this chemical before
tient is aware of any
ms of disease. The
the subject of a
rative study involving
ions in both Canada
United States.
arch is being sup-
•
6 Ml:
quipment
necessary
•
ported which r-; V directed
towards the improvement of
treatment by radiation.
Having developed special
Cobalt 60 Beam Therapy
Units (or Bombs), one
laboratory is now interested
in new equipment that will
deliver special types of
powerful radiations and in-
crease the effectiveness of
the attack on cancer cells. In
this study, as in others in the
field of radiation, the major
problem is the sensitivity of
biological agents capable of
producing cancers in man or
in animals.
One laboratory is studying
the successive changes which
appear in the tissues of an
experimental animal from
the time the cancer-causing
agent is first applied up to the
time of the appearance of
cancer itself. The first effect
is to destroy a large number
of cells.
This is followed by growth
of healthy t3ells to replace
Salaries for researchers
must be paid
normal healthy cells to
radiation and the difficulties
of sparing them from serious
damage. In parallel studies,
research directed towards an
understanding of the nature
of radiation damage
produced in the cell is being
pursued.
Research is also being
directed to the use of com-
puters to improve
calculations of the proper
dose of radiation to be given
to a patient and to obtain
instant access and tabulation
of results by patient, by site of
cancer, by doctor, etc.
Meaningful statistical studies
can now be curried out
precisely and quickly.
Research scientists are
also studying the ability of
cells grown in the laboratory
to repair radiation damage.
By controlling growth so that
all cells are at a given stage
in their life cycle at the same
time, it has been possible to
demonstrate that their
sensitivity to radiation varies
from time to time. This study
may suggest changes in the
way in which radiation
treatments are given.
There are approximately
600 external causes of cancer
- 600 physical, chemical or
those damaged or destroyed
but, during this process,
cancer cells develop in dif-
ferent areas in the damaged
tissue. Efforts are being
made to find these areas in
order to study why the cancer
develops there.
In another laboratory the
influence of chemicals,
viruses, radiation, etc. on the
cell's large molecules called
nucleic acids is being
scrutinized. These nucleic
acids contain information
which determines the
behaviour and future of each
cell. If this information were
altered by a chemical or
virus, it might be the crucial
step leading to the production
of cancer.
Some studies are concerned
with hormones. Certain types
of cancer in animals and man
are sensitive to the amounts
of various hormones
produced in the body. In some
cases the tumor may stop
growing and virtually
disappear if a particular
hormone is absent, but renew
its growth following treat-
ment with the hormone. It has
also been found that if certain
animals get a continuous
supply of one of the female
sex hormones - estrone by
means of a pellet inserted into
the tissue, they will inevitably
develop cancer of the breast.
If the pellet is removed, the
cancer disappears and does
not recur. Such results have
convinced " some scientists
that hormones are respon-
sible for certain human
tumors, such as breast
cancer.
Some of the research
supported by funds from the
Canadian Cancer Society is
concerned with the alteration
in the behaviour of•cells after
they are virus infected.
The most interesting
changes are those caused by
the viruses which are called
tumor viruses because they
cause tumors in animals.
When• mouse cells are in-
fected by these viruses, the
behaviour of the cells
changes and some of the
infected cells later become
cancer ,cells. It is hopeckthat
an understanding of the effect
of tumor viruses on cells will
suggest a way to prevent the
normal cells from becoming
cancer cells.
Another area of great in-
terest at present is concerned
with the possibility of
arousing the body's defenses
to make it immune to cancer.
The exact sequence of events
that occurs during the
development of an immunity
is not yet understood com-
pletely but there are grounds
for belief that the so-called
immune system Is the major
natural defense of the body
against cancer cells as well
as viruses and other diseases.
If the cancer cells could be
altered to arouse a stronger
immune reaction, the body
might be able to dispose of
them more effectively.
Surgery and radiation have
long been the practical means
of combatting cancer, but the
use of drugs (chemotherapy)
is now making a valuable
contribution. An outstanding
Candian achievement was the
discovery of the drug VLB
mentioned earlier.
One research unit is con-
cerned with the fact that
tumors tend to lose their
sensitivity to specific drugs.
A better understanding of the
mechanisms by which this
resistance is acquired may
teach us how to prevent a
drug from losing its ef-
fectiveness.
Clinical studies are being
conducted on the way cancbr
drugs work. One project has
to do with the action of a
compound
called
methotrexate, used for
patients with acute leukemia.
The research scientist con-
cerned is comparing the
changes in the chemistry of
leukemic cells in patieciits who
respond to the drug: and
patients who do not respond.
The objective is to find a way
of predicting, in a test-tube,
which leukemia patients are
likely to benefit from a given
drug.
Other studies in this field
involve the investigation of
how a compound called
nitrogen mustard enters the
blood cells of patients with
leukemia. It appears that if a
cell is resistant to the drug, it
is unable to take in any
significant quantity. This
brings one back to studies of
the characteristics of the cell
surface.
These projects are just a
few of the many studies in
progress in Canada which
have been made possible by
the generosity Of contributors
to the Canadian Cancer
Society. No project is isolated
and few are duplicated
anywhere else in the world.
Each represents the con-
tribution of one more piece to
the jigsaw puzzle which is
cancer.
Clinical supplies required
to produce drugs
This informative publication is brought to you with the kind co-operation of the following
GARB & GEAR
SPORTS SHOP
IN THE CLIMATE CONTROLLED
SUNCOAST MALL
GODERICH
MR. STEREO
40 WEST ST. GODERICH
PH. 524-9344
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3S ST. DAVID ST. GODERICH