Bae net ae a =< by tx pein a ee 1s eee Fe ae 2 a er rae | YS Loeas TS eye ~ ty s Ago eee s Rew iy niga Leen es , rim Pee etd 5 ee a . Kyo oT Fetes, « Shed a ae ae a ae, + 4 S woth . “2 ; ke fe : Vv ari ‘ . . i Sa Say a stage of shathan history, oncology. tht DES See tae = a a See — | Be y cB hb D. Nikolai Blokhin SE *IPts follow. © 1 ac! re ee Health, magazine of the World ‘4 fee ganization, printed an_ inter- . ebruary-March 1970) with Sov- Oh Specialist Dr. Nikolai Blokhin, ; of the Institute of Experimental He inical Oncology and President of the Stional Union against Cancer. Ex- SeRLD HEALTH: Is early detection Contr, A an important factor in cancer D ol'in the Soviet Union? a5 in’; BLOKHIN: In the Soviet Union, et countries, cancer research is clude Ping along several lines. It in- cr is. laboratory work and nationwide “Miological studies. The vast extent With” territory is an important factor ae Wide variety of climates and the foun diversity of customs and habits ,_*mong its multinational population. a latistics show that cancer of the lung, Sto Beosely the Soviet Union has more trie ch cancer than the Western coun- S. ae s trom MS Incidence of cancer also varies Thus gion to region in the Soviet Union.. re are more tumors in the South Be ‘AR "in the North; in the Central Asian €Dubli on Cs, cancer of the esophagus is | Country cesbread than elsewhere in the. ass examinations for early detection Ve Union «held regularly in the Soviet 0 : Hs Riven, for 20 years. Tens of millions are by qi CTY year. The work is done both Of, Pensaries specializing in the study Ventiy ors and by many institutes of pre- € medicine. In such centers. the d staff examine patients, treat We’, {2¢ keep them under observation. Magan, also making increasing use of in Banach, @xaminations. examinations etectj Cology and other methods for “7g tumors in their early stages. health, Precautionary examination of about 1 ©ver-thirties enables us to detect €n people in a thousand who have t 'We have every reason for optinyism” PROGRESS REPORT ON CANCER a pre-cancerous condition, and one with cancer. I emphasize that if we diagnose early, many cancers can be cured. In fact, most malignant tumors are curable if treat- ment is started in time. There is a wide- spread, but false, impression that cancer’ is incurable. Partly it arises because of the unfortunate fact that many patients don’t go to the doctor early enough. -WORLD HEALTH: Has there been progress in diagnostic methods? DR. BLOKHIN: Research institutes are evolving new methods for the diag- nosis of tumors. Diagnostic methods using radioiso- topes are now being developed and ap- plied. Interesting research is also being done into the use of spectroscopic and cybernetic methods of diagnosing malig- nant tumors. WORLD HEALTH: Is there any co- ordination of research? Petrov Institute for Oncology in Lenin- grad is responsible for coordinating their work and research. The Soviet Academy of Medical Sciences has a directing role in cancer research. Within this body there is a Scientific Council on Cancer. The Council is responsible for research planning. The main research establishment is the Ex- perimental! and Clinical Institute of the - Moscow Academy of Medical Sciences. Advanced courses are offered to physi- cians who wish to become specialists in cancer. Professors base their teaching on the work of research institutes. and oper- ate in’collaboration with them. WORLD HEALTH: What kind of treatment is used? DR. BLOKHIN: In the Soviet Union, as in other countries. we treat cancer by surgery. radiotherapy, chemo-therapy and hormone therapy. Often the different types of treatment are combined. We are becoming increasingly inter- ested in the chemotherapy of cancer, the use of drugs to combat tumors. In 1968, several hundred cancer specialists (chemists, biologists and clinicians) took part in the first conference on cancer chemotherapy. In cancer institutes we are studying both new anti-tumor sub- stances and the possibilities of simul- taneously using several drugs that have different effects. WORLD HEALTH: What is your atti- tude to cigarettes? DR. BLOKHIN: Tobacco is not a direct cause of lung cancer but the habit of smoking contributes to the develop- ment of pre-cancerous conditions and sub- sequently of malignant tumors. Cigaret- tes are also an aggravating factor in cardiovascular illnesses, which are the commonest cause of death in a great many countries. To go back to lung cancer associated with the use of tobacco: here as in other countries we combat it with a vast propaganda campaign against ciga- man’s environment. A special committee of the Ministry of Public Health is re- sponsible for this drive. - WORLD .HEALTH: What are the future prospects? DR. BLOKHIN: Although man has | suffered from malignant tumors at every Patients at Dr. Blokhin’s Institute. study of tugiors) as a.science hase - up only-if' recent decades. This s is now developing fast. Within a:Shart., time we have made important advances ~ in our knowledge of the nature and causes of tumors; methods of diagnosis and treatment are being perfected; we have developed a large number of new drugs. International co-operation between can- cer: specialists through the International Union against Cancer, the World Health Organization and the International Agen- cy for Research on Cancer at Lyons are contributing to the progress of research. It seems to me we have every reason for optimism about the development of research. In the next few years we can expect major scientific breakthroughs. BOALBHDIX PAKOM AETKVUX<- KYPMABDLIUKU! ea ; ee : P the a large intestine is commoner in DR. BLOKHIN: In every Soviet Re- rettes. Preventive work does not stop at than ae States and Western Europe _ public, the fight against cancer is carried cigarettes; we are trying also to elimin- Ninety-six percent of people who get 10 the Soviet Union. on by local bodies and organizations. The ate other cancer-producing agents from lung cancer smoke. Six times more lung smokers. cancer among N - ws $ 2 — : °mad with camel in the desert area when oesophageal cancer rates are high. Fishermen on the Caspian Sea where rainfall is abundant and cancer ratesarelow. - PACIFIC TRIBUNE —FRIDAY, JUNE 5, 1970Page 5 World Health eS