BACKGROUND
CANCER RESEARCH 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).