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Trends and philosophical aspects of cancer with special reference to combined methods of treatment
Author(s) -
Cole Warren H.
Publication year - 1972
Publication title -
journal of surgical oncology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.201
H-Index - 111
eISSN - 1096-9098
pISSN - 0022-4790
DOI - 10.1002/jso.2930040306
Subject(s) - medicine , cancer , disease , sarcoma , population , antigenicity , cancer chemotherapy , chemotherapy , immunology , oncology , antibody , pathology , environmental health
During the past four or five decades cancer has received more public attention than any other disease. There has been a 15% increase in deaths from cancer in males and a 9% decrease in the female population per 100,000 during the past 15–20 years. It appears more and more likely that viruses play a vital role in the development of human cancer, thus raising the possibility of development of an anti‐cancer vaccine, although many questions remain unanswered. A great deal of research has been done on tumor antigenicity and the use of anti‐tumor vaccines in animals since 1943 when Gross first reported regression of intradermal sarcoma following injection of autoantibodies. Since that time cancer antibodies have been found to be produced by the human being, and it has been shown conclusively that some people have a resistance to cancer whereas others may have little or none. Surgery, irradiation, and chemotherapy remain the only three effective methods of treatment, although the latter cannot as yet be considered curative. Until a marked improvement is attained in anticancer drugs it is the author's opinion that the greatest possiblity of significant improvement in results of treatment for cancer lies in the development of effective combinations of methods.