CAM EH \\\\ 



Occurrence of Cancer. - It has been Bhown l»v the Btudv of a 

 large number of cases of cancer in various countries, thai the 

 disease afflicts chiefly those of middle age, thai is, from fori 

 five to sixty-five years. Younger people and tho r eighty 



years are rarely afflicted with cancer, excepl thai in very old 

 people various mild cancel's of the skin are no1 infrequent; 

 these, however, are easily cured by the X-ray or radium, and 

 do not need operation in all cases. 



Women about the age of forty-five to fifty-five Bhould b< 

 careful, if any lump appears in the breast, to have a careful 

 examination made. Men of aboul this age, also, should be 

 watchful of ulcers on the lip, tongue, or inside of the che< 

 especially if the teeth are not good, and should have any Buch 

 ulcers immediately examined by a physician. The physician 

 may have to cut out a small piece and send it to a laboratory 

 in order to determine whether or not the growth is cancerous, 

 if it is too small to diagnose otherwise. It is very much betl 

 to have a diagnosis made early than to wait until the doctoi 

 sure that the thing is a cancer, for it is then often beyond 

 operation. 



Treatment of Cancer. — The proper treatmenl of cancer i^ 

 the removal of the growth as early as possible, it being re- 

 membered always that cancer is a local disease when it begins 

 and as a rule spreads through the tissues only after a consid- 

 erable time. The removal of small cancers or of beginning 

 cancers is often an easy matter and can be done under cocaine. 

 Internal cancers, of course, can be removed only by an exten- 

 sive operation; but the methods now are so successful thai a 

 very large proportion of the eases can be saved it operation 

 done early. 



There is a popular impression thai cancer is incurable. 

 This is not so. Early operation cures Borne kinds of can. 

 for instance those of the lip, in about 96 per cut of the casi - 

 operated upon. If cancer of breast also could he operated upon 

 at an early stage, nearly tour fifths of the cases would remain 

 well. When operated upon at a late Btage, onlj one fifth 



