The Goderich Signal-Star, 1983-03-30, Page 31•If
1
This is the: office of *unity= County of the Canadian Cancer Society. It is located at 20
Isaac Street In lPiOton and manned by secretary Marg Allan. The phone number is 482-7832.
(Pbo a byHoward Aitken)
Questions and answers ...
• from page 14
pginap, cells grown in tissue
,culture mayelso be infected
with a virus and then the
cells 'can be shown to be
transformed to a type that
• • pathologists have identified
as being characteristic of
human tumours. In addition,
it is possible to isolate
viruses from cultures of
human tumour cells and
show that such viruses can
produce. tumours when in-
jected into experimental
animals. However, in most
cases the final conclusive
evidence that any virus can
cause cancer in man is still
missing. There is also a con-
siderable body of evidence to
suggest that all of us have
the potential to produce
tumour viruses by a system
Which lies dormant until ac-
tivated by some as yet
unknown outside
mechanism.
6. Is cancer caused by the en-
vironment?
Several outstanding scien-
tists have examined
statistics from all over the
world and come to the con-
clusion that approximately
801 per cent of all cancer is
preventable.' This has led
other scientists to suggest
that the 80 per cent of cancer
that is preventable is due to
factors contained iii the en-
vironment: The search for
such evidence is carried out
by epidemiologists who use
statistics to study the
distribution of disease and
the reasons for that distribu-
tion, and by experimen-
Qtalists who study some of the
many compounds we en-
counter in daily, life and try
to find out if any of them will
give rise' to cancer in
laboratory animals. These
tests take a long time and
are so expensive to conduct
that every evaluation might
cost a million dollars. Since
there are millions of com-
pounds, and mixtures of
compounds, in our environ-
ment it is not possible to
study more than a few in.
detail. The Health Protec-
tion Branch of Health and
Welfare .(Canada) permits
only a limited number of
chemicals to'be used in food
or in cosmetics •and eech of.
these must be carefully
screened to verify that in
standard laboratory , tests
they do not give rise to
tumours in experimental.
animals. Although this pro-
, vides
ro-
,vides reassurance as far as
the quality of our food is con -
Corned,: a. lot of research is ing cells. • are more easily
being conducted to devise destroyed by radiation than
simpler and cheaper normal cells. The sensitivity
methods of determining of tumour cells to radiation
whether contaminants of our is influenced by ether factors
environment represent a such as the presence or
major carcinogenic hazard. absence of oxygen and many
cells within the mass of a
7. Are new methods of detee- tumour have a poor supply of
tion being developed? oxygen. They are therefore
In a study carried out at less sensitive to radiation.
the University of Alberta it However, several com-
was reported that 86 per cent pounds have now been syn -
of all cases of carcinoma of thesized which can restore
the pancreas had progressed this sensitivity, even in the
to an advanced stage by the continued absence of a good
time they were detected. supply of oxygen, and these
Since the efficacy of treat- compounds are known as
ment is often correlated with . radiosensitizers. Much of the
the degreeof advancement laboratory work is now com-
of the disease it becomes im- plete and studies are being
portant to diagnose cancer 0 conducted to determine
at the earliest possible stage. whether the administration
Some years ago a blood test of these compounds to pa -
known as CEA test wastients makes treatment of
devised in Montreal as a tumours by radiation any
potential means of early more effective.
detection of colo -rectal Geneticscancer. Although the . final
analysis of the results in- The science of geneticsis
dicated that the test was not primarily associated with
as specific as had originally the study of genes and the,
been hoped for, . the study processing of the informa-
markedly stimulated the tion thatthey contain. It is
search for methods of detec-
true that the genetic makeup
ting early cancer by im- of the egg and sperm cells of
munological reactions of the our parents determines the
blood. Another example of mixture of genes that we will
this type of study is the work possess and therefore deter -
presently being conducted at mines most of our physical
McMaster University in attributes: But most of the
which attempts are being cells in our bodies are not
made to detect antibodies to germ cells and they are call-
a virus in wothen with car- ed somatic cells. For exam-
cinoma ' of the cervix, the ple, the cells of our liverare
underlying assumption be- not involved in the produc-
ing that this type of cancer tion of bur children and are
may be caused by a virus therefore somatic cells but
and that antibodies to this they are involved in the pro-
virus are present in the blood duction of new liver cells to
of such patients. replace old or injured cells.
If they are caused to change
8. What future areas of by a chemical carcinogen,
research look promising? by a virus or by radiation
' Information processing is then the daughter cells that
now so quick that scientific they produce may have lost
advances do not long stay the normal controls on
associated with only one growth and have acquired
field e.g. today's results in those characteristics which
virology may rapidly in- make them malignant cells.
fluence tomorrow's ex- Scientists are now asking
periments in immunology whethersuch changes are
`while advances made in the associated with one gene,
study of cancer may have whether transfer of this gene
even more impact on the ef- from cell to cell is associated
fects of other diseases on : with change from a normal
mankind. However, there to a malignant cell and
are areas of cancer research whether it is possible to sup -
that may well be growth press the activity of such a
points in the next few years. gene.
These include:. Carcinogenesis
• It has been known for
Radiosensitizers more' than 250 years that
The basic philosophy chemicals can cause cancer
underlying the use of radia- in , In recent years
tien to treat cancer is that tremendous progress has
tumour cells are growing been made in the study of
more rapidly than normal how this process takes place
cells and that rapidly grow- and most cancer research
The `aaf f Sett
Marg AUan and '
o(flee, . NMI Y
ftom 14940; ti „.
any enquiries : about
becoming a volunteer Or
about what services_ Are
availableto cancer patients,
etc, you cancall the office at
482-7832
Officers for the gel*:
County Unit this year are as.
follows;' president -Ross s!
McDaniel. of Godericll, vice-
presidents -Mel Farnsworth
of Goderich and George
Michie of Belgrave;
treasurer -Steve Biskup of
Clinton; campaign chair
man -Jim Remington of
Goderich, vice -chairman -
Murray Hunter of Wingham,
workers believe that car-
cinogens ultimately interact
with ,the deoxyribsenucteic :
acid (DNA) of the cell With
isthe final storehouse of the
genetic information In an
expression of concern for the
increasing complexity of our
environment and the poten-
tial carcinogenic hazard that
it represents, scientists have
begun to search for quick
and cheap methods to detect
environmental carcinogens
by utilizing the knowledge
that most carcinogens in-
teract with DNA and cause
genetic changes which result
in different growth
characteristics. If this ` ap-
proachis successful, it may
be possible to remove Car-
cinogenic chemicals from
our environment and pre-
vent exposure to new ones.
9. What are you doing for the
patient of today?
Laboratory research
workers are making con-
tributions by developing new
chemotherapeutic agents,
by investigating new con-
cepts such as radiosen-
sitizers and by seeking more :
rapid and sensitive methods
of diagnosis. A major con-
tribution of the clinical com-
munity is the
om-munityis.the development of
a Canadian Clinical Trials
Program for treatment of
cancer patients: One use ` of
this type of clinical program
is in the final testing of new
modalities of therapy: A se-
cond use is based on the
assumption that there is
much to be gained from
more effective use of present
modalities of therapy:. For
example, if two drugs are
known to be of some benefit
in the treatment of a specific ,
type of cancer, is there any
benefit to be gained from us -I
ing the two drugs together,
alternating them on a day to
day basis, alternating them
on a monthly basis, simply
employing one until., it is no
longer effective and then tur-
ning to the other, or is there
any advantage to be gained
in using the two drugs in
combination with radiation
therapy? The questions ask-
ed in these trials can be
stated ina few simple
sentences but meaningful.
answers will depend upon
the results of • studies with
several hundred patients,
following the prescribed
course of treatment for mon-
ths or years and maintaining
follow-up for several years
Turn to page 16 •
iL001, EJ
gelop:mefl ani
•
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