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RICHMOND TIMES-DISPATCH Richmond, Virginia May 20, 1962 1'tutM.b n.ri,1 a>'o. Dr. J. J. Salley and Technican Review Recent Animat Studies Technician, Who Hel0ed in Studdies, Is Mrs. Fay E. Yarbrough Smoke May T rigb er Cancer, Studies Show By Beverly Orndorff Times-Dispntch Science Editor Recentlycompletedy animal studies byMedical. College nf~ Virginiaa scientists, working unden a tiationalInstitutes. ofHealth research grant, suggest cigaret smoke alone does not cause canccr. However, thestu.ies doo in- dicate the smoke may trigger cancer w'hen certain othcrcon- oetionsr exiz t. These 'entative conc;lusionss are based on thee foliewis~g ex- pernments: In studies.of the.relationship betweencigareCsmokeand oral eaneer: begun,h'ere in 1952. thelipsand earsof~ mice and themouthse off hamsters were subjected to daily concentra- tionss of cigaret smoke. These daily concenrra:tibns, which were roughly eeluivalenl to a little more than a.pack nf cigarets a dayfory humans„ weree given individuall animaL+for periods up tolwo, years. /Average lifetimes, for thesee animals are ahoutt twoo and a half years.l None of the animals ever de- velopedd a malignant cancer. But;., in animalss treated first with small . dosages ofa':nown cancer-causing agent and sub- jected to daily "smokes", 56 percent'developed caneerin an average of 24weeks. Forr animals treated with the same dosages of the agent„ butt not subjeete~dd to cigaretsmoke, 24 ' percent.developed tumors.. Dr. Salley'sProjecL In recent years, this work ha:sbeen conducted by Dr.JntfaJ:. Sailey„ headot thee depart- ment of orall patholbgyy at.. SICV"s dental school. the.e worta,, he said, indicating chronic irritation of potentially malignant cells can result ih i . their uncontrolled growth and! multiplication - the pnenome- mmn called~ cancen. Butt it is not understood yeti exactlywtiaty factors are in- voivedIn the production of~ la tent. malignant . cel ls. I t. could be certain chemical agents of rhee type Dn Salleyused in his experiments, it mightt tiee cer- tain physical cunditimns: or il could bee particular viruses. Or, it could bee hereditaryy factors; Dr. Salley said. °PromoUnR Agent" On thebasise of Fiiss animal experiment;. however„ he saidi "Our feeling, is that cigare.t. .smoke.isa.promoting agent (ih~ the develbpment of cancer) by virtue of.its being a chronicir- ritar,t."' One sidetight! of hiss wnrk ih, S::atesvitamin levels are a factor,.tbo Hefound, for ex, ample,. whitish spots occurred cn thetissuesof'animalswhose dietss were1d.w in vitamin B- It was begun im 1952 by the complex. formerliead of lhee department, These ammals were subjected Er. S. J. Kreshover,.who isnow. ;o "heavy, smoking" for long associate director of the Na- ,teriods of time, but they were tibnal Institute for Dental not treated with cancer-causing. Research in Bettiesda, J9d1 agents. Their research has pretty.well Thee whitish spots,.. hesaid,e established that.cigaret~ smoke could beinterpreted as being is an. irritant, Dn. Salley said pre-cancerous a r e a sr-- they thi, sceek. showed:a a certaindisorderlyn ar- 7here'hasheen~w=ork done byrangementi oPf eells, but not researchersinothrr parts of' enough to ealtA it cancer.