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EL PASO HERALD-POSTDavid DietzWhy Women Live LongerCancer CurableMr. Dietz closes his series of articles today with a discussion of cancer and a brief summary of the entire subject of the health of women.By DAVID DIETZScripps-Howard Science EditoriVrtOST women regard a diagnosis of cancer as a death sentence. On the contrary, such a diagnosis may he a reprieve, a gift of many years of life.Women are particularly fearful of cancer and therefore it isparticularly important that they realize this fact: Cancer is curable if diagnosis in time.The woman who avoids visiting her doctor because she is afraid that he is going to tell her that she has a cancer, may be signing her own death certificate by that action. Either she has cancer or she doesn’t haveit—and the chances are greatly in favor of hernot having it. If she doesn’t have it, a negative diagnosis will allay her fears. If she does have it, an early diagnosis will enable treatment to be instituted while there is yet time. A few months’ delay may mean the difference between every hope for a cureand utter hopelessness.It is true that cancer is second in*—-—-————-——the list of the causes of death in America today, exceeded in its devastating power only by heart disease. More than 125,000 men and women die annually of cancer.But the records of the American College of Surgeons give incontestable proof that cancer is not a hopeless disease. In the arehieves of the college are the reports of 26,000 “five-year cures.’' This means the reports of 26,000 cases which were diagnosed as cancer five years agoor more, treated, and have not hada recurrence of cancer since.To understand the importance of early diagnosis, it is necessary to realize the nature ol cancer. Cancer is an abnormal growth, but there are other types of abnormal growths which are not cancer.Any abnormal growth, whether of bone, cartilage, muscle, fat, or skin, is called a tumor. These are divided into two classes, benign- and malignant.The benign tumor does no particular damage. If it is unsightly or uncomfortable, it can be removedby surgery without fear of its return.The malignant tumor is cancer.Its deadliness arises from the fact that after a certain period, it reaches the stage of so-called “metastasis.”When this occurs, cells break loose from the cancer, travel in the blood stream to other parts of the body, settle down and grow into new cancers.The importance of early diagnosiscalled cancer “the arch enemy of women.” ' -The two types of cancer which women fear most are cancer of the uterus and cancer of the breast.One important fact that should always be remembered is that the onset of cancer is not accompanied by pain: It is only in the very late stages that cancer becomes painful. Therefore the woman suffering some slight pain and fearing to see her doctor because she doesn’t want to be told she has a cancer is doing herself a double injustice. She is worrying about a cancer which she doesn't have and she is neglecting to obtain treatment for some condition which, in all probability, could be quickly and easily remedied.Dr. Novak points out that the sign which should receive immediate attention from the woman is unnatural bleeding of any sort. This may not be due to cancer.* But it should be accepted as the occasion for consulting the family physician at once.Women are frequently referred toas “the weaker sex” and it is notuncommon for women to think ofthemselves as less fitted for the difficulties of life than are men. Yet’ the 'statistics fail to support this view.Speaking this September before„ ___ _ the British Association for the Ad-lies in the fact that treatment must' vancement of Science. Prof. p. A. E.Crew, famous bioligist of the University of Edinburgh, cited statistics to show that in England the death rate was higher for boy babies, boys and young men than it was for girl babies, young giiMs, and young women....His studies showed that after the age of 20, the young women outnumbered the young men and the ratio of women to men continue to rise throughout the remainder of life. At approximately the age. of 70, he found, the deaths of women began to outnumber the deaths of men by large numbers simply be-be instituted before metastasis begins. There are only three methods of treatment known today. They are surgery, X-rays and radium. Sometimes^ a combination of two ofthe three is used. But there are nouseful serum treatments for cancer and there are no secret treatments. Reputable medical men do not keep methods secret. It is the great law of medical ethics that every advance in medicine must be made publicfor the good of the whole world.Dr. Emil Novak of Johns Hopkins, former vice president of the American Gynecological Society, has
Newspaper Details
El Paso Herald Post
El Paso, Texas, US
Sat, Oct 02, 1937
Page 12
Full Page
Clipped by
Raul M.
NA, 24 May 2022
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