Experimental Cancer Research

EXPERIMENTAL cancer research can be undertaken with two main objects in view: (1) The investigation of the origin of cancer; (2) The study of the properties and life-history of the developed tumour. In regard to the first of these objects the staff of the Imperial Cancer Research Fund has confined its attention to the question of heredity. In the present report1 there is a summary of observations on this point which confirm the conclusions previously published. In mice with recent cancerous ancestry, 20 per cent. of all deaths were due to cancer, while in those with remote cancerous ancestry the ratio was 11·6 per cent. It will be interesting to see whether further research in this direction will reveal any relation between the types of tumour in the ancestors and their progeny, and whether there will be any appearance of the Mendelian phenomenon.