View report page

23
Cancer.
The deaths from Cancer in the Borough during the year numbered 122
as compared with 133 in 1930. Particulars concerning these deaths as
regards age, situation of disease and Ward are given in the table on page 25.
The high proportion of cases in which the stomach was the site of the disease
will be noticed. These cases amounted to 22 per cent of all fatal cases of
cancer occurring in Shoreditch during the year. The corresponding figure
for England and Wales during 1929 was 17 per cent.

In November, 1931, a report upon incurable Cancer, being an investigation
of hospital patients in Eastern London, was issued by the Ministry of
Health (No. 66).
As Shoreditch is one of the Boroughs included in the area investigated
the conclusions are of special interest.
This enquiry deals only with patients (whatever the organ affected) for
whom no form of radical treatment was any longer of avail, whether owing
to recurrence or to a late stage of a primary growth.
The number of cases included in the investigation was 1,983, and a
definite medical history was obtainable in 1,897. Of these 1,897 cases, 734
(387 per cent) had been previously treated by either "radical operation",
radium and/or X-ray, palliative operation, exploratory operation, while 1,163
(613 per cent) had had neither operation nor ray treatment.
Not less than 69 per cent of all patients made application in the first
place to a medical man and not to a hospital, while the interval between the
first symptom and application to a doctor was less in the case of patients who
went to a general practitioner than in that of those who went to a hospital.
The average intervals in the two categories being 3 4 months and 517
months respectively.
The Report states, "There is no evidence of undue delay on the part of
the practitioners in obtaining further advice and aid, by referring the patients
to hospital".