238 SCIENCE PROGRESS 



Conclusions 



Having reviewed much of what has been done in the way 

 of attempts to cure cancer, the only conclusion to be arrived 

 at is that at the present time the only means available which 

 affords any reasonable chance for the patient is complete re- 

 moval by a surgical operation. Complete removal is generally 

 only possible in the very early stages and the only cases, as a 

 rule, in which there is a really good prospect of success are 

 superficial cancers which are diagnosed very early. In many 

 cases, however, much more may be done in the way of alleviation 

 and the prolongation of life under more comfortable conditions 

 than was formerly possible by surgical operations. 



On the other hand, it should be thoroughly realised that 

 we have learned much concerning the nature of cancer during 

 the past ten years. Whilst none of the present lines of inquiry 

 seem to promise immediate success, the results already obtained 

 in following several of them serve to suggest the ultimate 

 discovery of one or more methods of curing a large number 

 at least, if not a great proportion, of cases of malignant disease. 



It has been satisfactorily established that the only way in 

 which cancer can be transferred from individual to individual 

 is by the grafting of the living cancer cells in a suitable 

 position. Even when this is done, it is successful only in the 

 case of some particular tumours, as apparently all are not 

 transmissible ; and of graftings with usually transmissible 

 tumours only a certain proportion are successful. 



It may be said therefore, with certainty, that cancer is neither 

 infectious nor contagious in the ordinary sense of these words 

 and that there is no risk of catching cancer from a cancer patient 

 unless in the highly improbable event of living cancer cells being 

 introduced into an accidental wound incurred by the surgeon 

 or his assistants during an operation. 



