What is the History of Cancer?
Cancer is not exclusively a modern disease, in fact tumours have been found in dinosaur bones dating back 150 million years. The earliest description of cancer (although the actual word ‘cancer,’ credited to Hippocrates, was not used until around 400 BC), was an account of eight cases of “tumours” or “ulcers” of the breast in Egypt in 1600 BC, well over 3000 years ago. These tumours were treated by cauterization with a tool called a “fire drill” which leaves much to the imagination! The writings of the time record that: “there is no cure” # a perception that continues to fuel the fear many people still have of the disease today. The introduction of anaesthesia in 1846 heralded a new era in surgery, during which it was discovered that radical surgery accompanied by removal of local lymph nodes could sometimes cure cancer. In the late 1800s, Paget suggested that tumour cells could spread through the bloodstream and lodge in other organs, although they seemed to be only able to grow at sp
