Cancer of the Breast
The memorandum describes the niatural course of mammary canicer and calls attention to the facts that the onset cannot be fixed witli aniy degree of accuracy; that eveen in women of the sanme age aiild the same lhabit of body some cases run an acute an1 id otlhers a chlrlonlic course.
Abstract
THE MINISTRY OF HEALTH MEMORANDUM. THE niewY im1emoranidum (Circular 7161) of the Miniistry of Health on cancer of the breast, to the issue of wbhich -we called attentioni last week, is an exttenided aind revise(d version of Circular 486, whlicll was published in May, 1924. In this revision additioi1al and m101ore exact data, based clliefly oni investigations by Dr. Janiet Lane-Claypon, by a, subcomiimittee conlsistilng of miiedical officers of health of severoal great cities, and at Leeds, lhave beeil ineoi-jr:'ated. The time lhas been tlhouglht ripe also for a section on the practical applications of the inifornmation wlichl lhas been acculmulated so far by theI D)cpartiental Comiimittee on Cancer, of wlhicll Sir George Newmiian is chalirmani. In the initroduction to thle imiemoranidum it is poinited out that nio otlher organi contributes miore largely than the breast to the canicer mortality amongst womeni in, England(l ai(l dWales; that the upper aiid outer quarter of tlle organi is the situation in. wlhlich cancer iiiost commoInly appears, anid tllat the area surrounding the niipple is tlle next most comimionl seat of the disease. The memorandum theni describes thle niatural course of mammary canicer, anid calls attentionl to the facts that the onset cannot be fixed witli aniy degree of accuracy; that eveen in women of the sanme age aiild the same lhabit of body some cases run an acute an1 id otlhers a chlrlonlic course; and that age appears to have some influence oni the course of the disease. Tlle average lnatural dutrationi of a case of calncer of the breast seems to be a little over thlree years.