ESTROGEN IN CARCINOMA OF THE PROSTATE

Abstract
To the Editor:— I was interested in the statement by Dr. Charles Huggins inThe Journal, January 8, that he and Dr. C. V. Hodges had introduced the treatment of carcinoma by the administration of estrogen and gave as a referenceCancer Research1:293 (April) 1941. Without detracting from the brilliant contribution of Dr. Huggins and his co-workers, the record should be cleared as to the time at which the administration of certain steroid chemical compounds was first suggested as a form of treatment. In the article inCancer ResearchHuggins and Hodges reported the reduction in acid phosphatase in patients with cancer of the prostate following injection of diethylstilbestrol 1 mg. daily during periods of from eight to twenty-three days. In March 1941 I presented a paper entitled "Observations on the Effect of Estradiol Dipropionate and Diethylstilbestrol on Malignant and Hyperplastic Prostatic Tissue" before the Mid Atlantic Section