Lung Cancers

Cancer of the lung was formerly considered rare, but in the last 20 years it has increased steadily, not only in the U. S., but in Canada, England, Germany. Before he died last June, Dr. Philip B. Matz, U. S. Veterans' Administration research chief, examined 138 clinical and post-mortem records from the veterans' hospitals to find out where lung cancer came from and how long it was going to be here.

Fortnight ago the Journal of the A. M. A. printed Dr. Matz's conclusions. He found that: 1) almost 40% of the cancer victims had been engaged in occupations which irritated their lungs, such as certain types of mining and metal grinding; 2) almost 60% of the patients had suffered from influenza or pneumonia before the onset of cancer.

Influenza, said Dr. Matz, inflames the delicate lining of the lungs, causes erratic growth of new cells. Thus the widespread increase of lung cancers in the U. S. may be a result of the influenza epidemic of 1918-19. If this hypothesis is true, said Dr. Matz, "the increase should be transitory." But. he warned, if the increase is due primarily to "industrial expansion and irritation of the respiratory tract by noxious chemicals and gases," cancer of the lung is here to stay.

This file is automatically generated by a robot program, so reader's discretion is required.