2
Participation high in on-the-job cancer detection program
(Continued from page 1)
and cervical cancer. Smokers of both
sexes got an oral exam for cancer of the
mouth.
Cannon Mills paid all the costs of the
program.
Results of screening
"This has never been done any place in
the world on this scale," Heyden said. He
is a professor of community and family
medicine and a faculty member of the
Comprehensive Cancer Center.
The screening turned up:
—six women with breast cancer, four
with early stages of the disease,
—seven women with cervical cancer, all
with early stages,
—two people with colon cancer, one
with an early stage tumor,
—six men with prostate cancer, three
with early stage disease.
Other findings included: 65 confirmed
cases of diabetes, previously undetected;
247 previously unknown cases of severe
hypertension; 1,591 previously unknown
cases of mild hypertension; 420 cases of
non-cancerous prostate disease, and 455
cases of non-cancerous breast-disease.
Referred for follow-up
Any worker found to have something
wrong in the screening program was
referred to his or her own doctor for
follow-up.
Heyden examined all 12,000 workers
screened. He and May Morris, a Duke
nurse and health educator, conducted the
education sessions. Also participating in
the screening were three other registered
nurses, two nurses' aides and a secretary,
all employed by Cannon Mills.
Workers on every shift at every
Cannon plant had the chance to attend
the one-hour education sessions and the
screening.
Reasons for success
Heyden said three factors led to the
program's success.
"First, Cannon Mills allowed us to
conduct not only the education but also
the screening during work hours," he
said.
"Second, the education program itself
boosted participation in the screening. In
an industrial situation, when you invite
people to come for screening, you usually
get 15 to 30 per cent maximum taking
part. We have proven the power of
education in motivating about 70 per cent
of people in the plants to accept our
invitation for screening," Heyden said.
Most took advice
Equally important, he said, 91 per cent
of women screened and 80 per cent of
men took Heyden's advice to see their
doctors if the screening tests showed
something wrong.
"This is further evidence of the
effectiveness of health education," he
said.
The third factor Heyden cited in the
' . .s ' ' ^ i..5
f , ' Is"'''
V '"Hr
OPEN WIDE—Twenty-four cases of cancer were found in a program of
cancer examination of 12,000 Cannon Mills employees. Led by Dr.
Siegfried Heyden, the two-year program was one of the largest on-the-
job cancer education and examination programs in U.S. history. Here,
Heyden examines a Cannon Mills employee, Raeford Stegall, while
another employee Danny Black, records observations.
program's success was the cooperation of
local doctors in Cabarrus County.
"They were real pioneers, too, in that
they were the ones who could say 'yea' or
'nay' to the whole program and they said
'let's go ahead.'"
On to other areas
Heyden said he now will take the
education and screening program to
other areas of the state and to other
industries.
"Blue Cross — Blue Shield of North
Carolina actively promotes the idea of
more cancer education and screening for
all North Carolinians," he said. "They
have initiated a close cooperation and
financial assistance for our team."
Other industries are interested in the
program, he said, because it can reduce
deaths and early retirements among
workers.
"The average age of workers found to
have cancer at Cannon Mills was 53,"
Heyden said. "A company has invested a
lot in a person by then. The person is most
valuable to the company at that age."
In addition, company screening
programs help workers' families, he said.
"How is a family going to survive without
the income of the worker, or with a largely
reduced income?"
Professional news
Dr. Samuel L. Katz, professor and chairman
of pediatrics, attended the American Academy
of Pediatrics annual meeting in New York
City, Nov. 5-10.
Katz took part in a meeting of the infectious
diseases committee and two seminars on
infectious diseases and antibiotics, and he
served on a plenary session panel on vaccines.
The Academy, with headquarters in
Evanston, III., is the Pan-American association
of physicians certified in the care of infants,
children and adolescents.
There are approximately 18,000 members in
the U.S., Canada and Latin America.
Dr. Robert McClelland, associate professor
of radiology, directed a radiology postgraduate
course in Bermuda, Oct. 24-28.
The faculty for the course included
professors of radiology. Dr. Herman
Grossman and Dr. Reed P. Rice, and Dr. James
C. Reed, associate professor of radiology.
The course drew more than 200 participants.
What?
Never calculate the quantity of your
pre-pubescent poultry until each has
consummated the incubation process.
If you don't intend to do anything
about a problem, it's silly to worry about
it.
If you intend to solve it, worry isn't
necessary.
Advances against cancer to be symposium topic
Intercom
is published weekly by the Office of Public
Relations, Duke University Medical
Center, Box 3354, Durham, N.C. 27710.
Joe Sigler
Director
John Becton
Editor
Primary contributors: William Erwin,
Conaprehensive Cancer Center media
relations officer; Ina Fried, staff writer;
Parker Herring, public relations assistant;
Edith Roberts, staff writer; David
WiKaoison, medical writer.
Cimdatian: Ann Kittrell.
North Carolina physicians will have a
chance to catch up on some new
developments in cancer treatment at a
symposium in the Research Triangle Park
Nov. 30.
The day-long symposium, entitled
"Recent Advances in Cancer Treatment,"
will cover childhood cancers, adult
leukemia, ovarian cancer, breast cancer,
head and neck cancer and the treatment
of solid tumors with immune system
boosters.
Co-sponsors are the Duke Cancer
Control Program and Burroughs
Wellcome Co. Presentations begin at 9
a.m. at Burroughs Wellcome, 3030
Cornwallis Rd.
Those attending will have ample time
On tour
A group of students from Carrington
Junior High School is touring the medical
center today.
They are participants in the school's
Introduction to Vocations program, and
are accompanied by Dot Honeycutt.
for questions and answers, said Dr.
Donald S. Miller, symposium director and
director of the Cancer Control Program.
Three Duke specialists will join others
from Buffalo, Minneapolis and Houston
in making presentations.' Those from
Duke are: Dr. Wayne Brenckman, an
associate in medicine; Dr. T. Boyce Cole,
an associate professor of otolaryngology;
and Dr. John Falletta, a professor of
pediatrics. The three and Miller are
members of the Comprehensive Cancer
Center.
For registration information, call the
Cancer Control office at 684-5201 or
write to Box 2985.
Two faculty members promoted
Two medical center faculty members
have been promoted to assistant
professor.
University Provost Frederic N.
Cleaveland anounced the promotions ot
Dr. William Mackey Clark in the
Department of Radiology and E)r. Ann L.
S.Moore in the Department of
Community and Family Medicine.
Clark graduated from Davidson
College in 1966, and Moore from the
University of Missouri in 1968. Both
were elected to Phi Beta Kappa.
A Rhodes Scholar, Clark studied at
Oxford University prior to attending
Harvard Medical School, from which he
received an M.D. in 1971.
He served as a general medical officer in
the U.S. Navy, 1972-74. TTie radiologist
joined the Duke faculty in 1977 after
having completed residency training
here.
Moore earned her M.D. from the
University of Missouri in 1972. She came
to Duke as a resident in the Duke-Watts
Family Medicine Program, 1972-75,
serving as chief resident during the last
year of her training.
She was appointed to the faculty here
in 1975.