Malignant Tumours of the Upper Jaw. Part I

Abstract

During the brief childhood of our Faculty of Radiologists, the annual Skinner Lecture has already established a tradition and set a standard to which it is difficult to attain. I am deeply sensible of the honour of being entrusted with the duty of delivering this lecture for 1943, and the subject which I have chosen is “Malignant Tumours of the Upper Jaw.” It may seem to be temerity for a Radiotherapist to choose this subject which has been described in detail by such giants of the past as Sir Henry Butlin, but I have chosen it for three reasons. Firstly, radiotherapy has made a definite contribution to the results obtained in these difficult cases. Secondly, their incidence is not high, and reports, with some outstanding exceptions, have been based upon a relatively small number of cases from any one clinic. This series of 153 consecutive cases from one general hospital may be considered to be of some value. Thirdly, this is a condition whose proper treatment at the present time typifies the need for team-work in the treatment of cancer and for complete co-operation between the surgeon, pathologist, radiodiagnostician, and radiotherapist. There have been, in this country, many contributions to the literature on the subject of malignant disease of the upper jaw since Butlin's classical description of its clinical features and surgical treatment in his “Operative Surgery of Malignant Disease” in 1900. Patterson, Mollison, and Woodman have each made contributions on surgical treatment and the use of electro-surgery.