Archives track a long war

This exercise is a part of Educator Guide: Cancer’s Sweet Cloak / View Guide
  1. Search for the earliest published article about cancer research in the Science News archives.  What does it discuss?  
    Possible student response: “Doctors doubtful of cancer serum,” published 6/28/1924, discusses the work of Dr. T.J. Glover of Toronto, who claimed to have made a cancer-curing serum. The American Medical Association expressed doubts, with the assistant to the editor of its journal stating that “Evidence indicates that controlled tests of the Glover cancer serum made by Francis Carter Wood, director of cancer research, Columbia University, show that the treatment has not the slightest effect on the growth of tumors of animals.”
     
  2. Search for an article that describes other innovations in cancer treatment. Describe the treatment. 
    Possible student response: “Immunotherapy attacks aberrant cervical growth,” published online 1/29/2014, describes a possible immunotherapy to fight precancerous lesions in women. The treatment injection contains a mix of proteins, genes and a virus and is designed to alert the immune system to cells commandeered by human papillomavirus.
     
  3. Search for an article that describes how the immune system may be affected by a person’s diet. Summarize the article and pull a quote from the article that supports your summary. 
    Possible student response: “Typical American diet can damage immune system,” published 5/18/2015, discusses the effect of poor nutrition on cellular function. Evidence suggests that unhealthy foods may disrupt immune defenses to promote inflammation, infection, autoimmune disease and cancer. The article states, “There is also evidence that certain kinds of fats and refined sugar, consumed in excess, may compromise the inner lining of the intestine, allowing microscopic leaks that trigger unrelenting immune activation.”