CANCER: DIAGNOSING DISEASESome conditions that occur in the body, while not necessarily cancerous, may be considered precancerous, or early stages of changes in the tissues that might eventually lead to cancer. Thus, women should be examined after childbirth to determine the presence of injuries of the tissues, and the proper repair of damage may prevent subsequent irritations that lead to cancer. Erosions, which are rubbed spots on the surface of the organ, need to be given proper care. Ulcers of the stomach occasionally develop cancerous manifestations. Continued irritation of the gall bladder by gallstones may in some instances bring about the kind of irritation that results in excessive and wild growth of cells. Bear in mind that none of these conditions is the cause of cancer. They are contributing factors which have to be studied. In the absence of the stimulus that leads to cancer the contributing factors alone do not result in cancer, but the combination may be deadly.Cancers of the lung, the intestines, or the stomach usually come on insidiously, and the person affected may not be aware for some time of the nature of his condition. Often people are reluctant to let the doctor know when the symptoms first appear; sometimes they fail to pay attention because of fear or ignorance. Doctors believe that many more cases could be saved if only people would come to the doctor sooner.From a British clinic comes the report that 55 per cent of patients with cancer of the breast waited for more than three months after noticing a lump before consulting the doctor. Over 16 per cent waited longer than a year. Similarly, great numbers of women disregarded irregular bleeding from the organs of childbirth. Some people have opposed campaigns of education about cancer because of the fear that they might create phobias and develop neurotics.The Papanicolaou test involves removal of a scraping from the organ concerned – cervix of the uterus, stomach lining or bronchial tubes – and examining this under the microscope for cancer cells. Every woman past 30 years of age should have such an examination of the cervix of the uterus at least once annually.Cancer of the skin, breast cancer, and cancer of the uterus give indications of their presence early, and a high percentage of these patients can be cured if the condition is diagnosed early and properly treated.Much has been printed lately about the definite increase in cases of cancer of the lung, which a few relate to smoking. The relationship is not definitely proved. Early diagnosis in such cancers depends chiefly on paying attention to symptoms affecting the lung and getting promptly a good X-ray study. The mass X-ray studies for presence of tuberculosis have helped to locate many cases of cancer.*4/318/5*

X-rays passes backwards and forwards across the body in a thin strip. Instead of an X-ray plate on the other side there are special crystals which react very quickly to X-rays falling on them. Messages are constantly being fed into a computer telling it how many X-rays went in one side (from the X-ray source) and how many came out the other side (as indicated by the reaction of the crystals). By analysing these messages sent from every angle around the body, the computer builds up the cross-sectional picture. The process can be repeated at other levels in the body as neccessary. CT scan pictures give us much more detail than an ordinary X-ray. Contrast methods are often used in combination with the CT scanner to give the maximum possible information. The problem with CT scanners is that they are extremely expensive and need expert staff to ‘read’ the pictures. They also Involve the use of considerably more radiation than normal rays.

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