Cancer timeline | Timetoast timelines

100

First known case of cancer 1500 BC

The world's oldest documented case of cancer hails from ancient Egypt, in 1500 b.c. The details were recorded on a papyrus, documenting 8 cases of tumors occurring on the breast. It was treated by cauterization, a method to destroy tissue with a hot instrument called "the fire drill." It was also recorded that there was no treatment for the disease, only palliative treatment.
100

Treatment: Surgery 1500 BC

Surgery is one of the main treatments for cancer. It may be the only treatment you need. Surgery is a local treatment – it only treats the part of the body operated on. So it may cure cancer that is completely contained in one area and has not spread. Usually, the earlier a cancer is found the easier it is to remove it.
Jan 1, 1896

Treatment: Radiation Therapy

[Radiation therapy uses high-energy radiation to shrink tumors and kill cancer cells (1). X-rays, gamma rays, and charged particles are types of radiation used for cancer treatment. The radiation may be delivered by a machine outside the body (external-beam radiation therapy), or it may come from radioactive material placed in the body near cancer cells (internal radiation therapy, also called brachytherapy). Systemic radiation therapy uses radioactive substances, such as radioactive iodine, th](http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/factsheet/Therapy/radiation)
Jan 1, 1942

Treatment: Chemo Therapy

Chemotherapy is the treatment of cancer with one or more cytotoxic antineoplastic drugs ("chemotherapeutic agents") as part of a standardized regimen. Chemotherapy may be given with a curative intent or it may aim to prolong life or to palliate symptoms.
Jan 1, 1950

Treatment: Stem Cell Transplant

In a typical stem cell transplant very high doses of chemo are used, often along with radiation therapy, to try to destroy all of the cancer. This treatment also kills the stem cells in the bone marrow. Soon after treatment, stem cells are given to replace those that were destroyed. These stem cells are given into a vein, much like a blood transfusion. Over time they settle in the bone marrow and begin to grow and make healthy blood cells. This process is called engraftment.
Jan 1, 1970

Breat Cancer Advocacy

Being diagnosed with breast cancer today is an entirely different experience than it was just 30 years ago. While partly due to advances in medicine, many significant changes are the result of what is termed the Breast Cancer Advocacy Movement.
Jan 1, 1985

Relay for life

Relay For Life (often shortened to Relay) is the main volunteer-driven cancer fundraising event of the American Cancer Society. Originating in the United States, the Relay For Life event has spread to 21 countries.[1] Relay events are held in local communities, campus universities, military bases, and in cyberspace.
Jan 29, 1991

Human Gene therapy

The first human gene therapy to treat cancer was started. Patients with melanoma were treated with tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes to which a gene for tumor necrosis factor has been added.</a>
Jan 1, 2001

Seattle Camcer Care Alliance

Seattle Cancer Care Alliance (SCCA) is a cancer treatment center located just north of downtown Seattle adjacent to Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center. SCCA was founded in 1998 by the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, UW Medicine, and Seattle Children's as a separate, jointly governed entity aimed at advancing both the research and treatment of cancer.
Jan 1, 2012

New cancer detection

A new technology developed at MIT may help to make biomarker detection much easier. The researchers, led by Sangeeta Bhatia, have developed nanoparticles that can home to a tumor and interact with cancer proteins to produce thousands of biomarkers, which can then be easily detected in the patient’s urine.
Jan 1, 2012

DNA breakthrough

[Researchers at the Institute of Cancer Research in London have launched a new tumour profiling unit to rapidly sequence the DNA of cancer samples. The £3m, three-year project aims to "advance knowledge of the genetic profile of cancer", according to the Daily Telegraph. ](http://www.theweek.co.uk/health-science/51235/dna-profiling-promises-cancer-breakthrough-five-years)
Jan 1, 2013

Breast Cancer breakthrough

[Women with aggressive breast cancers are being offered hope of a cure – thanks to a research breakthrough by Manchester scientists. A team led by Dr Rob Clarke at the University of Manchester has proved for the first time that breast cancer stem cells – the driving force of a tumour – can be targeted to stop the disease from returning and spreading.](http://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/health/huge-breakthrough-in-cancer-fight-from-manchester-1286624)