Cancer​—How Are We Doing?

This series of articles on cancer is presented to help you the reader to have a realistic view of the advances achieved in treating this disease. In recent decades, progress has been made in the understanding of some of the causes of cancer. Now good advice about prevention is available. It is also easier today to get an early diagnosis, and there is a greater likelihood of cure. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services sums it up this way:

“Good News: Everyone does not get cancer. 2 out of 3 Americans never will get it. Better News: Every year more and more people with cancer are cured. Best News: Every day you can do something to help protect yourself from cancer.”

WE DO not intend to consider this subject through rose-colored glasses. After all, one medical source indicates that in the United States alone “58 million Americans now living will eventually have cancer.” Many other countries have a similar proportion. Therefore, false optimism is unwarranted. Yet, optimism based on facts will help all to face the reality with hope and will also encourage cancer patients to put up a more effective fight.

Can Cancer Be Cured?

How do experts answer this question? Note the following:

“Cancer can be treated successfully. In many instances it can be completely cured. Countless people who have been treated for cancer have lived long, healthy lives, with no sign or symptom of the disease. . . . Cancer is definitely curable.”​—The Complete Medical Guide, by Dr. Benjamin F. Miller.

“Fear of this disease has obscured the fact that almost half of the people with cancer can be cured, and proper treatment of those who cannot be cured can add years of comfortable and productive life.”​—The Facts About Cancer, by Dr. Charles F. McKhann, Professor of Surgery, Yale University.

“Some cancers are easily curable; whereas others are almost always completely incurable by the time they are diagnosed. . . . Cancers of three organs (lung, breast, and large intestine) are at present of outstanding importance as they currently account for half the U.S. cancer deaths.”​—The Causes of Cancer, Sir Richard Doll and Richard Peto, the University of Oxford, England.

But there is still a sobering note to add to this picture. In his book Target: Cancer, science writer Edward J. Sylvester states: “The killer certainly has not been caught. The most deadly cancers in the United States​—lung cancer, postmenopausal breast cancer, and colorectal cancers—​are no more curable now than thirty to forty years ago, . . . although people with these cancers in some cases are surviving longer.”

Vast sums of money are spent each year on cancer research, but it is one of the most elusive killer diseases that man has known. However, there is a positive note on the three cancers mentioned​—some people “are surviving longer.”

When it comes to cancer, are all of us victims of chance? Or is there something we can do to prevent it? Do food and life-style have any bearing on the incidence of cancer?

In the following articles, we will consider some of the known causes of cancer and methods of prevention and cure, as well as an example of success in overcoming cancer. The final article will explain how we know that cancer will soon be conquered.

What Is Cancer? What Causes It?

PERHAPS deservedly, over the years the word “cancer” has acquired a strong negative overtone. Phrases such as “spreading like a deadly, insidious cancer” have impelled many people to close their minds to the word and its true significance.

Yet, today, when brought out into the open in an objective manner, the subject assumes less fearsome proportions. Instead of always being “deadly,” it often becomes “curable.” Instead of always “spreading,” it is often terminated while still localized. So, what is cancer really? And what causes it?

British experts Sir Richard Doll and Richard Peto explain: “The various human cancers are diseases in which one of the many cells of which the human body is composed is altered in such a way that it inappropriately replicates itself again and again, producing millions of similarly affected self-replicating descendant cells, some of which may spread to other parts of the body and eventually overwhelm it.”​—The Causes of Cancer.

The big question now is why? Why do some cells break out of the normal mold and proliferate abnormally?

Does Your Life-Style Make a Difference?

At the present stage of cancer research, doctors have a far-from-complete answer to the cancer scourge. The fact that it is increasing is confirmed by Drs. John C. Bailar III and Elaine M. Smith who recently stated in The New England Journal of Medicine: “From 1973 to 1981 the crude incidence rate for all neoplasms [cancers] combined rose by 13.0 percent. . . . There is no reason to think that, on the whole, cancer is becoming any less common.”

To a great extent, the cancer experts are caught between the need to find an adequate treatment for malignant tumors and the need to encourage prevention by tracing the true causes. The search for causes leads to a labyrinth of differing theories​—does the cause lie in viruses, genes, immune responses, chemicals, environment, toxics in the body, in combinations of these, or in something else? And by what process does a cell become malignant and then migrate?

A cancer expert, Professor Stephan Tanneberger, stated: “It is now an established fact that this is a process involving several stages whereby a normal cell with a certain genetic make-up is transformed into a tumour cell under the influence of several factors. We know that viruses, radiation and chemical substances constitute such factors, but it is safe to say that only the interaction of several such factors produces a cancer cell in a multistage process.”​—Prisma.

What does this mean for us in everyday life? According to Dr. Charles A. LeMaistre, president of the American Cancer Society, our daily living habits have a bearing on the causes of cancer. He stated: “Most scientists now believe that our daily habits​—what we eat and drink, whether we smoke and how often we expose ourselves to the sun determine to a great extent our risk of getting many cancers.”​—Ebony magazine.

This point of view is confirmed by the research of University of Oxford experts Doll and Peto. They state: “Observations of the vagaries of human behavior may suggest ideas that might never occur to a laboratory investigator. Historically, they provided the starting point for a large part of all cancer research by pinpointing the risks associated with exposure to the combustion products of coal, sunlight, X-rays, asbestos, and many chemical agents. They drew attention to the hazards associated with chewing various mixtures of betel, tobacco, and lime and with smoking tobacco.”

Since life-styles and environments differ from one country to another, it means that there is a tendency for some countries to have more of some types of cancer and less of others. For example, England, where tobacco use has been prevalent for decades, leads in lung cancer. Nigeria, which has not caught up in tobacco usage, has a much lower incidence of that ailment at present. Connecticut, U.S.A., leads in colon and bladder cancer, while Nigeria has the lowest levels.

Another example of how life-style can be conducive to cancer is Kaposi’s sarcoma, a normally rare cancer. Homosexuals have been stricken with it in the last few years as a consequence of AIDS, which weakens the patient’s immune system and lays him open to infections and this sarcoma.

A possible additional factor in causing cancer is indicated by Dr. Kenneth R. Pelletier of the University of California School of Medicine: “Numerous animal and human experimental studies have demonstrated that stress, psychological depression, and other psychosocial factors compromise an organism’s capacity to prevent the induction of disease such as cancer or limit its spread.”​—Holistic Medicine.

Other doctors also hold this view that excessive stress can affect the immune system and thus lay a person open to cancer and other diseases. Now let us look more closely at some of the more obvious causes of cancer.

Tobacco​—A Deadly Foe

For decades tobacco has been linked to cancer. Therefore it causes no great surprise to read the following press release: “The World Health Organization, citing a report that nearly one million deaths each year can be attributed to tobacco use, has issued a strong condemnation of smoking and tobacco use.” That item, published in The New York Times, went on to say that “smoking is responsible for 90 percent of all cases of lung cancer, 75 percent of all cases of chronic bronchitis and emphysema and 25 percent of ischemic heart disease as well as other types of cancer, pregnancy complications and respiratory diseases.”

Tobacco plays such an important role in cancer that Dr. Byron J. Bailey, University of Texas Medical Branch, believes that tobacco addiction should be called tobaccoism, and its consequence, cancer. He wrote in JAMA (Journal of the American Medical Association): “We must realize that tobaccoism is the most deadly drug addiction in the United States [in the world!] today and that it is exacting a heavier toll in lives and dollars than cocaine, heroin, the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome, traffic accidents, murder, and terrorist attacks combined.”

But what about the use of what is known as “smokeless tobacco,” snuff and chewing tobacco, now popular with millions of people worldwide? The New England Journal of Medicine reports that “in India, parts of Central Asia, and Southeast Asia, oral cancer is far more frequent than in the United States. In fact, it is the most common cancer in that area.” The report continues: “Smokeless tobacco taken orally, alone or together with such ingredients as areca nut and piper betel leaf and lime, has been shown to increase the risk of mouth cancer greatly.”

Tobacco and Alcohol​—Is There a Link?

What can be said about smoking and drinking in combination? Drs. Doll and Peto affirm that alcohol “‘interacts’ with smoking, each agent enhancing the other’s effects. That alcohol is involved in the production of cancer has been suspected for 60 years, since it was shown that cancers of the mouth, pharynx, larynx, and esophagus were commoner than average in men who were employed in trades that encouraged the consumption of large amounts of alcohol.”

This conclusion is confirmed by the German cancer expert Professor Tanneberger, who said: “Smoking and excessive drinking are a risk factor of the first order. . . . There’s no escaping the fact that a causal relationship exists between a person’s mode of life and the development of cancer.”

“Innocent” Killers

Millions of people every year expose themselves to a random killer that seems so enjoyable and innocent​—sunrays. Yet excessive sunbathing, especially if it leads to severe sunburn in adolescence, can be conducive to melanoma, a dark pigmented cancer of the skin. As one medical source explains: “The conditions that maximize risk may be those that involve sudden exposure of untanned skin to sunlight.”​—The Causes of Cancer.

This cause should not be viewed lightly, since, in the United States alone, 23,000 new cases and 5,600 deaths are expected this year. Those most easily affected are people with light complexions, blue eyes, blond or red hair, and freckles.

Excessive exposure to X rays in medical examinations may be another “innocent” cause of cancer. For example the “rapid increase in incidence . . . is greater for thyroid cancer than for any other type of tumor and may in part be explained by the epidemic of non-fatal thyroid cancers induced by medical use of X-rays.”​—The Causes of Cancer.

Even the food we eat may be another unsuspected cause of cancer. “Studies suggest that certain foods and some nutrients contained in those foods may be associated with the development of cancer. Findings suggest that a high intake of dietary fat is a risk factor for cancer. . . .

“Scientists have found some relationship between a lack of certain vitamins​—A and C—​and cancer. For example, diets low in vitamin A have been linked to cancers of the prostate gland, cervix, skin, bladder and colon.”​—U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

One curious example is that of aflatoxin, “a product of the fungus Aspergillus flavus that commonly contaminates peanuts and other staple carbohydrate foods stored in hot and humid climates.” According to Drs. Doll and Peto, it “is a major factor in the production of liver cancer in certain tropical countries.”

After Cause and Effect​—What Next?

The fact of the matter is that there are at least 200 different types of cancer with many distinct or interrelated causes. In some cases, the causes are still not known for sure. Chemicals used in food, as well as industrial pollutants, have been pinpointed as possible causes. For some reason, delay in having a first child, thus delaying natural lactation, also has some bearing on the incidence of breast cancer. For further information on causes of cancer, see the box on page 6.

If scientists have established that many cancers are due to human behavior and factors in the environment, we are on the way to important solutions to the cancer problem​—prevention and cure. These will be dealt with in the following article.

[Box on page 5]

Definitions of Cancer Terminology

Tumor​—an abnormal mass of tissue; any unhealthy swelling; also called a neoplasm, or new growth. It can be benign or malignant.

Benign​—cells that do not invade or infiltrate other tissue. However, a benign tumor can cause dangerous pressure.

Malignant​—cells that invade and infiltrate surrounding tissues and, unless arrested, eventually overwhelm the patient.

Cancer​—a malignant tumor. Cancers are listed under two main groups: sarcomas and carcinomas.

Sarcomas​—cancers of the structural and connective tissues, including bones, cartilage, fat, and muscle.

Carcinomas​—cancers that affect the tissues that cover or line body organs such as the skin, intestines, lungs, and breasts.

Carcinogen​—a cancer-causing substance.

Metastasis​—transmission of a disease from its original source to additional sites in the body.

Lymph​—a clear fluid circulating through the body. It contains white blood cells, antibodies, impurities, and nourishing substances.

Lymph glands​—or nodes. These normally filter impurities from the body. The lymph system is vital in the body’s defense against infection.

(Based on Cancer and Vitamin C, by Drs. Ewan Cameron and Linus Pauling; The Facts About Cancer, by Dr. Charles F. McKhann.)

[Box on page 6]

Some Established Cancer-Causing Agents in Humans

Cause Cancer site

Aflatoxin (on moldy peanuts)‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐Liver

Alcoholic drinks in excess‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐Mouth, throat, esophagus, liver

Asbestos‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐Lung, pleura, peritoneum

Chewing betel, tobacco, lime‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐Mouth

Furniture (hardwood)‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐Nasal sinuses

Leather goods‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐Nasal sinuses

Overnutrition (causing obesity)‐‐‐‐‐Endometrium, gallbladder

Late age for first pregnancy Breast

Childless or very few children‐‐‐‐‐‐Ovary

Parasitic infections:

Schistosoma haematobium, Africa‐‐‐Bladder

Chlonorchis sinensis, China‐‐‐‐‐‐‐Liver

Sexual promiscuity‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐Cervix uteri; skin

Steroids‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐Liver

Tobacco‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐Mouth, throat, lung

Virus (hepatitis B)‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐Liver

(Based on The Causes of Cancer)

Can You Beat Cancer?

“It would seem, therefore, that the majority of human cancer is potentially preventible.”​—The Causes of Cancer.

“A patient’s life-style and willingness to participate in the healing process can significantly affect the course of his or her health.”​—Holistic Medicine.

HOW can cancer be beaten? We are going to examine what is being done to cure the disease or to fend off its ravages. However, an adage says that prevention is better than cure. So let us first consider the possibilities of prevention through diet.

Can Diet Make a Difference?

Is it possible that some of the food we eat could trigger cancer? The book Malignant Neglect states: “The high rates of colon and breast cancer in the United States have been attributed in good part to diet.” So, what you eat over the years can influence the possibilities of a cancer being initiated. Thus the person interested in good health should be discriminating in what he or she eats and drinks.

Diet also includes the liquid intake. Since alcohol abuse can lead to various cancers, the obvious counsel is to drink only in moderation. But what do the doctors consider to be “moderation”? The answer may surprise many who believe they are moderate drinkers: “Two or fewer drinks a day, especially if you smoke.” (Diet, Nutrition & Cancer Prevention) By this definition, if you take more than two drinks a day, in this cancer-prevention context, you are no longer moderate.

The vital point is that we can do something about cancer if we individually take preventive action. But what is needed for preventive measures to have an impact on the public? Cancer surgeon Blake Cady put it bluntly: “A public education program that would . . . wean people off high-fat meats toward lower fat, toward lower-cholesterol diets, would do more than medicine will ever do by intervention to lower the cancer rate.” (Target: Cancer) In that case, what foods can help stave off cancer?

One government health agency recommends that your diet should provide at least 25-35 grams (about one ounce) of natural fiber a day. This helps to keep the intestines naturally cleaned. But how do you get fiber in your food? Eat plenty of fruits, vegetables, peas, beans, and whole-grain bread and cereals. Eat foods such as potatoes, apples, pears, and peaches with their skins on. Vegetables from the cabbage family may also reduce risk of colon cancer.

Another recommendation is to avoid animal fats. Poultry and fish are recommended over red meat. If you do choose meat, then make sure it has little fat on it or in it. Choose low-fat or skim-milk dairy products. Include foods that contain vitamins A and C, such as the dark green leafy vegetables​—broccoli, kale, spinach, chicory, watercress, beets, and even dandelion greens! Another good food color revealing vitamins A and C is yellow-orange: vegetables​—carrots, sweet potatoes, pumpkins, squash; fruits​—apricots, cantaloupes, papayas, peaches, pineapples, and melons, to name just a few.

Diet, Nutrition & Cancer Prevention also states: “The evidence is growing that eating too much fat (both saturated and unsaturated) may increase your chances of getting cancers of the colon, breast, prostate, and endometrium [lining of the uterus].” Then what is the conclusion? That your diet can make a difference in many cancers.

What other products should we avoid if we want to minimize the risk of cancer? Although this may not be a popular recommendation with some, we have to examine the role of tobacco.

What They Say About Tobacco Is True

Oxford University experts Doll and Peto wrote: “No single measure is known that would have as great an impact on the number of deaths attributable to cancer as a reduction in the use of tobacco . . . The principal impact would be on the incidence of cancer of the lung, which by late middle age is more than ten times greater in regular cigarette smokers than in lifelong non-smokers.”

The eradication of smoking would also reduce the frequency of other cancers. “A material effect would also be produced on the incidence of cancers of the mouth, pharynx, larynx, esophagus, bladder, probably the pancreas, and perhaps the kidney.”​—The Causes of Cancer.

Chemicals That Kill

Do you breathe chemical products at your place of work, or come into skin contact with them? Recent research has established that some chemicals can trigger a cancer reaction. According to David P. Rall, director of the U.S. National Toxicology Program, evidence suggests that “18 chemicals are capable of causing cancer in man and another 18 are suspected.” The U.S. health publication Decade of Discovery states: “A single chemical can act as both initiator and promoter, or two or more chemicals can interact to produce a tumor.” In that case, what are some of the risky chemicals and occupations?

The publication The Causes of Cancer lists alkylating agents, aromatic amines, asbestos, benzene, vinyl chloride, and certain compounds or oxidation states of arsenic, cadmium, chromium, and nickel. It also indicates risky occupations to be hardwood-furniture and leather-goods manufacture, as well as the production of isopropyl alcohol. Then what can you do if any of these factors are implicated in your work?

Usually, responsible employers will take steps to eliminate the danger of contamination. In some cases, increased ventilation has served to remove vapors more quickly from the work area. In other situations, workers spend briefer periods in a danger area. Protective clothing and respirators are used. However, a word of warning is appropriate here.

“Most companies don’t even know these chemicals exist, or if they know they exist, then they have no idea that there is such a thing as a carcinogen.” (Decade of Discovery) In such cases, what can you do? If your employer is not willing to protect you, then you might have to weigh the advisability of changing your job. After all, your health is one of your most valuable assets.

So can you do something to beat cancer? First answer these questions: Do you love life, good health, and vitality? Are you impressed by the marvelous gift of a healthy body? Do you want to beat cancer? If you answer yes, then you can develop sufficient motivation to make changes in your life-style, changes that will serve to lessen your chances of initiating cancer in your own body. (See the graph on page 6.)

Early Diagnosis​—First Step to Cure

What if prevention is too late? Science writer Edward J. Sylvester states that there “is still good news for those fearing they may get cancer . . . , but . . . most advances in cancer treatment are related to early diagnosis.” Therefore, all the experts in the field counsel alertness toward cancer’s possible warning signals. What can you watch out for as early warning signals? Some of these are:

1. A change in bowel or bladder patterns or habits.

2. A sore that does not heal.

3. Unusual bleeding or discharge.

4. Thickening or lump in breast or elsewhere.

5. Regular indigestion or difficulty in swallowing.

6. Obvious change in a wart or mole.

7. Constant nagging cough or hoarseness.

8. Recent unexplained weight loss.

On the first evidence of any of these symptoms, a doctor should be consulted. Of course, the symptom might not be indicative of cancer. But the sooner you find out, the better.

New advances have been made in early detection of tumors by means of mammography, thermograms, sonograms (ultra sound pictures), CAT scans, Pap smears, and excreta tests. Now the technicians have come up with an even more precise early diagnosis system called MRI (magnetic resonance imaging). As writer John Boal explains, the MRI scan is “a noninvasive, radiation-free, and painless procedure.” It is so effective that “in a recent study at Huntington Medical, brain tumors were found in 93 patients in which CAT scans had found no brain abnormalities.” (American Way) Although a very expensive item, it is expected that by the end of 1986, there will be some 300 installed in U.S. hospitals.

Your Attitude and a Doctor’s Suggestions

Often the first reaction on being told that one has cancer is denial, refusal to believe it. In his book The Facts About Cancer, Dr. McKhann states that denial is “a very important normal and healthy defense mechanism against life-threatening situations or information. It has been described as the ‘morphine of the soul’ and is the way we reject thoughts too painful to endure. We actually buy time to gather up our emotional strength to face reality, often letting reality come in slowly so it will not overwhelm us.”

However, he offers a warning: “Intense and prolonged denial can prevent you from seeking early medical attention or cause you to reject medical advice and treatment by failing to accept the diagnosis.”

Another reaction may be fear or anger. It will be helpful for all to understand that “the target of anger may be . . . family, God, fate, doctors, nurses, the hospital or the disease itself.”

Guilt often invades the cancer patient’s mind. The sick husband feels guilty because he may no longer be able to support his family properly; the wife, because she can no longer care for the home as she used to. As Dr. McKhann counsels: “You will find it much more comfortable to regret that you cannot do something rather than feeling guilty about it.”

A further common reaction for cancer patients is depression, which can lead to feelings of hopelessness and gloom. How does Dr. McKhann view all these reactions? “Unpleasant as they are, all these strong reactions are perfectly normal. . . . They represent responses to the disease and are not part of the disease itself.”

He suggests: “Your confrontation with cancer will require that you fight many battles. You will win some, but you must also expect to lose a few. . . . To understand what is required, you must study your enemy. This means learning how cancer attacks your body, but more important, how it attacks your person, the real you.”

Facing Up to Cancer Treatment

In certain respects, the crusade against cancer is slowly paying off, and in recent decades the results have been more encouraging. Doctors, scientists, and researchers feel that they can see a small light at the end of the tunnel. This has introduced a vital factor into the war against cancer​—hope. As Dr. McKhann says: “Probably the single most important requirement for living with cancer is hope . . . , one of the most mysterious and sustaining values in life.” Recovery feeds on hope while the cancer prospers on despair. But from where can a cancer patient get hope?

There are several sources, but three outstanding ones are: (a) doctors and nurses who are sympathetic and optimistic, (b) your loved ones, especially a marriage mate who thinks positively, (c) well-founded religious faith. Our final article in this series will comment on the aspect of faith and on the true basis for hope for the future.a

In medical terms, a solid basis for hope is in the three major orthodox treatments for cancer​—surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation. What are these three methods?

Surgery involves the surgical removal of the tumorous growth and perhaps some surrounding tissue.

Chemotherapy (chemical therapy) is the treatment of cancer with drugs that can spread through the body and attack tumor cells. “Over fifty chemicals are used to treat cancer and some tumors can be cured.”​—The Facts About Cancer.

Radiation therapy is the use of high-energy radiation from X ray, cobalt, radium, and other sources in order to destroy the malignant cells.

Facing Up to Side Effects

It would not be fair to speak about success in cancer treatment without also mentioning the risks or side effects. Reduced to the simplest terms, “chemotherapy drugs are toxins [poisons],” and “some of these drug regimens are so toxic that patients die of their side effects.” (Target: Cancer) Thus, since chemotherapy is a poisoning of the system, it is a two-edged sword. Hopefully it kills more malignant cells than healthy ones. But it can also lead to other drastic secondary effects, such as nausea, vomiting, and temporary loss of hair. Many patients, though, have felt that temporary undesirable side effects are better than premature loss of life.

Radiation therapy is really a burning process that destroys all the cells it touches. However, it can be focused on the exact area of the tumor. Nevertheless, one authority says that “radiation therapy has been strongly implicated in causing later cancers.” This presents a trade-off situation in which the patient must decide.

Some doctors admit that sometimes they use these therapies even when, from their viewpoint, there is no hope for the patient. As Chilean surgeon Dr. Villar admits: “Sometimes, cancer treatment is a very expensive​—very expensive—​form of psychotherapy.” Science writer Sylvester points out that “Villar’s insight [is] shared by many cancer physicians who are concerned that even highly toxic treatments are ordered without evidence that they are helping.” Then why are they recommended? “Because a doctor feels, in the words of one critical medical oncologist: ‘I can’t just let the poor lady die.’”​—Target: Cancer.

Yet, many people prefer to live out their lives without treatment that will only prolong their suffering. Particularly is this the case when the therapy cannot help them and may even add to their suffering.

Can Breast Cancer Be Beaten?

Perhaps one of the most feared cancers for women, and even for some men, is breast cancer​—not only for its mortality rate but also for its aesthetic and psychological effects. What can you do to avoid the removal of a breast, known as a mastectomy? An essential factor is early diagnosis.

Although women are advised to do self-examination of the breasts for the appearance of any lump, it is suggested that women with larger breasts have an annual mammography, or breast X-ray examination. Why is that? Because it is difficult to notice a lump deep in the tissue just by simple palpation. As Dr. Cory SerVaas advised: “Your chances of being counted among the fortunate are much better if you go for your first mammogram once you’ve reached the age of 35 or 40.” Why is that the case? “For most types of breast cancer the five-year survival rate is more than 85 percent for cancers discovered while in Stage I.”

Nowadays there are X-ray machines that can do a mammography at a very low level of radiation. This minimizes the possibility of provoking a cancer by excess radiation.

Another aid to very early diagnosis is the thermogram, which is a temperature scan of the breast. “Tumors develop their own blood supplies, needing vast amounts of blood’s oxygen energy for their growth. . . . [They] form hot spots, spewing energy in far greater amounts than normal cells.” (Target: Cancer) This allows early detection of the “hot spot” by the thermogram.

In the past, surgery for breast cancer often involved radical mastectomy​—a disfiguring removal of the breast and surrounding muscle tissue and the lymph nodes. Is that still viewed as essential? Dr. Bernard Fisher, an expert in the breast cancer field, concluded that not only was radical mastectomy not usually justified but “simple mastectomy, the removal of all breast tissue, did not appear to improve survival over mere lumpectomies [removal of a lump only] with and without radiation treatment.”

Any Other Choice of Treatment?

Up to this point, we have only considered the orthodox medical approaches to cancer treatment. It is only right to mention that some patients have resorted to other methods with varying degrees of success and failure. Examples of these are Laetrile (Vitamin B₁₇) treatment, the Hoxsey treatment using herbs and certain chemicals, and another method established by Dr. William D. Kelley, a dentist, based on the belief that cancer “indicates an active pancreatic enzyme deficiency.”​—One Answer to Cancer.

In addition, as stated in Target: Cancer: “There are large numbers of people, some physicians among them, who subscribe to a ‘holistic’ idea of the cause, cure, and prevention of cancer and other diseases: Cancer is a disease ‘caused’ by the whole human going out of whack, and conscious effort on the human’s part can restore health. Many reputable people believe this, and many former cancer victims swear they have been cured by following prescriptions based on a holistic rather than a reductionist view of health.”

One of these former victims is Alice, a jovial woman in her 50’s, from British Columbia, Canada. Yet, 36 years ago, she had her first surgery for a small malignant tumor on her hand. Six years later, she had surgery for cancer of the ovary. Then, in 1960, a hysterectomy (surgical removal of the uterus) was performed.

Cancer recurred in 1965, and again surgery was recommended. Alice says: “They wanted to perform a colostomy and a mastectomy, and I didn’t want that. By then I had had enough of surgery. So I went for the Hoxsey treatment in Mexico. I followed their method for 11 years. For me it worked, although I know that it hasn’t always worked for others. I have had no recurrence of cancer since then.”

Another person who has had success in her struggle against cancer is Rose Marie. She tells her story next.

[Footnotes]

[Box on page 13]

Although Awake! mentions these different methods, we do not take a stand on their effectiveness. As Dr. Kelley admitted: “It should always be in mind that there is great risk in any program [orthodox or unorthodox] that you choose or in any combination of programs.” Therefore, we try to inform on the current situation, but we let each individual make his or her own decision after study and consultation with qualified physicians.

[Graph on page 10]

(For fully formatted text, see publication.)

SAMPLE COMPARISON OF DEATHS DUE TO CANCER IN MALE TOBACCO SMOKERS AS AGAINST ANTICIPATED FIGURE FOR NONSMOKERSb

Each man represents 100 deaths

LUNG CANCER

NON-SMOKERS 231 Deaths Expected

SMOKERS 2,609 Deaths Observed

MOUTH AND THROAT CANCER

NON-SMOKERS 65 Deaths Expected

SMOKERS 452 Deaths Observed

[Footnotes]

[Pictures on page 9]

These foods provide natural fiber and vitamins as a protection against cancer

“Cancer​—I Am Beating It”

ROSE MARIE is a very happy, outgoing Texan in her 60’s. She first discovered that she had a tumor in 1964, about the time of her menopause. Here she tells her encouraging story:

When I first noticed that I had a lump in my breast, I was concerned as to what it might be. So my husband took me to the hospital for a checkup. That was the scary part​—sitting and waiting for the verdict. When I was eventually told that I might have cancer of the breast, I remember feeling as if someone had kicked me in the stomach. Then started a period of indecision​—which course should we take? Some doctors were urging surgery, and others recommended alternative treatment. How did we decide?

My husband talked with a doctor friend who said that while most lumps in the breast were benign, there was the possibility that it might be malignant. So the option was, should we take our chances and delay surgery or should we immediately have the offending lump removed? We decided together that I would accept the surgery. The lump was removed and declared nonmalignant. I breathed a sigh of relief.

In 1965 I discovered another lump in the same breast. This was a setback but not a defeat. I had surgery once more, and that lump was also benign. Figuratively, I held my breath as everything went well for two years. Then, in 1967, a third lump appeared in the same breast. The doctors ordered a careful biopsy and came up with malignancy. The breast would have to be removed. Thus, a month later I had a “simple” mastectomy.

Eight years passed without any further problems. I began to feel I had beaten the cancer. But in 1975 I found a lump in my other breast. In view of my past history, the doctors opted for a mastectomy of that breast. To be sure that the cancer did not spread, they also ordered a series of radiation treatments. I must admit that this procedure scared me. Why was that?

Each time, I had to wait with other people who were also having radiation treatment. They had their faces and bodies marked up with red dye as targets for the radiation gun. That was an unsettling sight. Then I had to go into this special radiation room on my own. It all seemed so eerie because I knew there was this invisible force destroying my tissue, malignant and good at the same time. Anyway, I had 30 radiation treatments in the course of about 15 weeks. Since then, I have only needed two minor surgery interventions for benign tumors on my back and head.

Strength to Survive

I am truly thankful still to be alive 22 years after my first tumor appeared. What has helped me to keep going during these trials? First of all, my supportive husband. He made arrangements to accompany me to the hospital each time, including for all the radiation treatments. I feel that you certainly need to have a good friend or relative supporting you when you go to a hospital. But it has to be a strong, positive person, not a sentimentalist. I weep easily, and I do not need someone who encourages me in that respect.

I also found that my doctors were a great help. We were very fortunate to have Dr. James Thompson, one of the best back then. He had a warm bedside manner even right there in the operating room. He was also frank about my condition, without being brutal and blunt.

I learned not to dwell on my situation. I have always filled my mind and my life with interests and activities. I love to read, but the stories have to have happy themes. I do not want to think about morbid subjects. And I cannot stand hospital stories on the TV!

What helped me when I was sick? One of the things I appreciated was all those get-well cards and letters. It was so encouraging to know that so many were thinking about me. When you are sick, you do not always feel like receiving visitors, but their cards are very welcome. Of course, when visitors came, I appreciated those who were upbuilding and positive in their comments. No one wants to know about some relative who died of cancer three years ago! So sensitivity to feelings is appreciated when visitors come to see the sick.

Of course, as one of Jehovah’s Witnesses, my faith has sustained me greatly. To the degree possible, I have also kept busy in the Christian ministry. Preaching and teaching the Bible’s hope of God’s new system and the resurrection has helped to deepen my own faith. Now, in 1986, I am happy that I am still alive and able to fill my life with activity in Jehovah’s service.​—Contributed.

Progress in cancer therapy in recent years has enabled some patients to require only simple lumpectomy. However, the choice of treatment depends on many factors.​—Ed.

When Cancer Will Cease

“By the year 2100 advances in basic research in biology may permit prevention of cancer by means now utterly unforeseen.”​—The Causes of Cancer.

ACCORDING to Bible prophecy, cancer will cease even sooner, and certainly “by means now utterly unforeseen” by the writers of the above-quoted book. Why do we make that assertion?

Because Christ Jesus, sent to the earth over 1,900 years ago, was empowered to restore life and health to mankind. On one occasion, without even seeing the patient, he cured a Roman army officer’s manservant who was “laid up in the house with paralysis, being terribly tormented.” (Matthew 8:5-13) On another occasion, he cured his disciple Peter’s mother-in-law, who was sick with fever. How did he do it? “He touched her hand, and the fever left her, and she got up.”​—Matthew 8:14-17.

An analysis of Jesus’ ministry shows that he healed a variety of sicknesses in people of both sexes and of differing age groups. He restored the health of the lame, maimed, blind, and dumb, of the epileptic, the paralytic, of a woman suffering from a hemorrhage, a man with a withered hand, and another man with dropsy. He also raised persons from the dead. How did he do it? Was it by some special kind of therapy?

In fact, it was not hypnotherapy, psychotherapy, or any other kind of medical approach. Neither was it due to Jesus’ personal wisdom, knowledge, or power. It was miraculous healing from a supernatural Source. (Matthew 8:17; Isaiah 53:4) It was his Father’s spirit and power that brought about the healing. However, it was only applied to a minority of the sick of Christ’s day, and it did not prevent the healed ones from dying later. Then what purpose did it really serve?

The healing that Jesus performed pointed to a day when all obedient humankind will benefit from the restoration of God-given gifts of health and life. Thus we have the Bible’s inspiring promise: “Look! The tent of God is with mankind, and he will reside with them, and they will be his peoples [here on earth]. . . . And he will wipe out every tear from their eyes, and death will be no more, neither will mourning nor outcry nor pain be anymore. The former things have passed away.”​—Revelation 21:3, 4.

Among those former things that will pass away is cancer, together with its causes. Under the rule of God’s Kingdom government by Christ, death-dealing environmental factors will be erased. Debilitating stress will be removed, and the human immune system will function as it was intended. Healthy bodies will cooperate with healthy minds, centered on true spiritual values.​—Isaiah 33:24; 35:5, 6.

Does all of this sound too good to be true? Yet, as the Bible states, we have God’s guarantee: “And the One seated on the throne said: ‘Look! I am making all things new. . . . Write, because these words are faithful and true.’” (Revelation 21:5) This is the living hope that sustains Jehovah’s Witnesses who endure the ravages of cancer, some even to death. They know that Jehovah God has promised “new heavens and a new earth.”​—Isaiah 65:17, 18.