Background

MILESTONES AND TREATMENTS

70-80 million years ago

Evidence of cancer in dinosaur fossils

2012

Gene-editing technology, CRISPR, was invented

1846

Invention of anesthesia for surgical use

1895-1899

X-ray machine is invented, giving rise to the first successful x-ray therapy

1953

First successful eradication of a tumor with chemotherapy

1979

Commonly mutated tumor suppressor gene, P53, was discovered

3000 BCE

First recorded case of cancer in Egyptian papyrus

1882

William Halsted performs the first radical mastectomy to treat breast cancer

1941-1942

Charles Huggins discovers hormone therapy, giving rise to its first use against lymphosarcoma

1958

First administration of a combination of chemotherapeutic drugs

CURRENT TREATMENTS

LOCAL

Local cancer treatments include surgery and radiation therapy, which operate on specific areas of the body. Surgery involves removing cancerous tissue by cutting, burning or freezing. Radiation therapy utilizes X-rays and other high energy beams to kill cancer cells. Both treatments are strenuous on the body, and can lead to secondary tumors.

SYSTEMIC

Systemic cancer treatments include chemotherapy, hormone therapy, and targeted therapy. Chemotherapy uses drugs to kill cancer cells via venous administration. Hormone therapy inhibits specific hormone production to halt cancer growth. Targeted therapy uses Tumor-Specific Antigens (TSAs) to detect and attack cancer cells. These treatments are usually long in duration and entail adverse effects (such as hairloss, nausea, and fatigue).