The cure of the "incurable" : a plea for more accurate diagnosis and more careful prognosis in malignant disease / by William Seaman Bainbridge, A.M., Sc.D., M.D., C. M., New York City.

  • Bainbridge, William Seaman, 1870-1947
Date:
[1915?]
Catalogue details

Licence: In copyright

Credit: The cure of the "incurable" : a plea for more accurate diagnosis and more careful prognosis in malignant disease / by William Seaman Bainbridge, A.M., Sc.D., M.D., C. M., New York City. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    croscopical examination. It is equally cer¬ tain that these symptoms may be present to a marked degree coincidentally with the existence of a tumor or tumors the lion- malignant nature of which may be estab¬ lished by the complete disappearance of the neoplasm under treatment directed toward causative factors in no way involving the existence of a malignant process. It is clear then that no symptoms or set of symptoms should be relied upon invar¬ iably in making a diagnosis of cancer. Un¬ less the clinical picture is absolutely con¬ vincing, especially in cases involving ex¬ tensive surgery, the microscopical should always be employed to reinforce the clin¬ ical diagnosis, if it is at all feasible to do so. In the presence of a clear-cut clinical picture of malignancy, involving radical surgery, a negative microscopic report should not be accepted as final. Every surgeon whose experience with cancer is extensive, has doubtless had repeated evi¬ dence that malignancy may be discovered in some instances by the aid of the micro¬ scope only after many sections have been examined. Inasmuch as there is at present no re¬ liable serodiagnostic test for cancer, there must be brought to bear upon every case in which there is room for doubt a careful