Timeline of cancer treatment development

Timeline of cancer treatment development
This is a historical timeline of the development and progress of cancer treatments, which includes time of discovery, progress, and approval of the treatments.
Ancient Era
Cancer was traditionally treated with surgery, heat, or herbal (chemical) therapies.
2600 BC Egyptian physician Imhotep diagnosed several types of tumour and therapies for them. According to the Ebers medical papyrus, hard tumours were treated by placing a poultice near the tumour, followed by local incision.
BC Ancient Greeks, Romans, and Egyptians used heat to treat masses. Healers in ancient India used regional and whole-body hyperthermia as treatments.
2 AD Ancient Greeks describe surgical treatment of cancer.
Modern Era
1800s
1820s British Dr. James Arnott, "the father of modern cryosurgery", starts to use cryotherapy to freeze tumours in the treatment of breast and uterine cancers
1880s American Dr. William Stewart Halsted develops radical mastectomy for breast cancer
1890s German Dr. Westermark used localized hyperthermia to produce tumour regression in patients
1891 American Dr. William B. Coley, "the father of immunotherapy", starts to treat cancer patients by injecting them with streptococci, containing immunostimulatory CpG motifs
1896 French Dr. Victor Despeignes, "the father of radiation therapy", starts to use X-rays to treat cancer
1896 American Dr. Emil Grubbe starts to treat breast cancer patients with X-rays
1896 Sir George Thomas Beatson invented hormonal treatment of breast cancer by bilateral ovary removal in women with inoperable breast cancer.
1900s
1900 Swedish Dr. Stenbeck cures a skin cancer with small doses of radiation
1920s Dr. William B. Coley's immunotherapy treatment, regressed tumors in hundreds of cases, the success of Coley's Toxins attracted heavy resistance from his rival and supervisor, Dr. James Ewing, who was an ardent supporter of radiation therapy for cancer. This rivalry and opposition to Dr. Coley leads to the disuse of immunotherapy for cancer, in favor of Dr. Ewing's preferred radiation therapy
1939 American Dr. Charles Huggins uses synthetic hormone therapy to treat prostate cancer
1942 First chemotherapy drug mustine used to treat cancer
1947 American Dr. Sidney Farber induces brief remission in a patient with leukaemia with the antifolate drug aminopterin (methotrexate)
1949 US FDA approves mechlorethamine, a nitrogen mustard compound, for treatment of cancer
1949 Oncolytic viruses began human clinical trials
1951 Dr. Jane C. Wright demonstrated the use of the antifolate, methotrexate in solid tumors, showing remission in breast cancer
1950s Anti-cancer anthracyclines isolated from the Streptomyces peucetius bacteria. Anthracycline-based derivatives include: daunorubicin, doxorubicin, amrubicin, idarubicin
1953 US FDA approves mercaptopurine (6 MP), an immunosuppressive agent
1956 Metastatic choriocarcinoma cancer is cured with the antifolate, methotrexate
1956 First bone marrow transplantation performed by E. Donnall Thomas in order to treat leukemia in one of two identical twins, the healthy twin being the donor
1957 Introduction of fluorouracil to treat colorectal, breast, stomach, and pancreatic cancers
1957 Introduction of interferon to treat kidney, skin, and bladder cancer
1958 Combination therapy consisting of 6-mercaptopurine and methotrexate results in a cure of leukaemia in a trial run in US hospitals
1958 US FDA approves cyclophosphamide for chemotherapy of cancer
1960s Introduction of laser therapy in treatment of cancer
1960 Invention of tamoxifen breast cancer anti-estrogen (SERM) hormonal therapy drug
1961 Vincristine, anti-cancer alkaloid, isolated from the Madagascar periwinkle plant
1962 US FDA disapproves Dr. Coley's immunotherapy, making it illegal; radiation therapy remained the dominant treatment for cancer
1963 US FDA approves vincristine (Oncovin) for chemotherapy of cancer
1964 VAMP regimen combination therapy, consisting of: vincristine, amethopterin, 6-mercaptopurine, and prednisone, induces long-term remissions in juvenile acute lymphoblastic leukemia
1965 MOPP regimen combination therapy cures advanced Hodgkin's lymphoma, with the combination of: nitrogen mustard, vincristine, procarbazine, and prednisone
1965 MOMP regimen combination therapy, consisting of: methotrexate, vincristine, 6-MP, and prednisone, induces long-term remissions in juvenile acute lymphoblastic leukemia
1965 Latvian scientist Aina Muceniece identifies echovirus as a potential agent for oncolytic virotherapy, resulting in the development of RIGVIR
1966 Taxol, anti-cancer compound, isolated from the yew plant
1967 Camptothecin, anti-cancer compound, isolated from the Camptotheca acuminata, the Chinese Happy Tree, which was used as a cancer treatment in traditional Chinese medicine. It is the source of chemotherapy drugs: topotecan and irinotecan.
1968 Japanese Dr. Tanaka pioneers the treatment of metastatic breast cancer with cryoablation, resulting in prolonged survival
1972 UK and other European countries approve tamoxifen for breast cancer
1972 American Dr. Lawrence Einhorn cures metastatic testicular cancer with cisplatin
1975 Invention of monoclonal antibodies
1975 American Dr. Einhorn shows combination therapy consisting of cisplatinum, vinblastine, and bleomycin can cure 70% of advanced testicular cancer cases
1975 C-MOPP regimen combination therapy, consisting of: methotrexate, vincristine, cyclophosphamide, and prednisone, cured advanced diffuse large B-cell lymphoma
1977 US FDA approves tamoxifen for metastatic breast cancer only, not widely popular as chemotherapy remains first line of treatment
1981 American Dr. Bernard Fisher proves lumpectomy is as effective as mastectomy for breast cancer
1989 US FDA approves Carboplatin, a derivative of cisplatin, for chemotherapy
1990 US FDA approves tamoxifen for major additional use to help prevent the recurrence of cancer in "node-negative" patients
1990 China begins treating various cancers with photodynamic therapy
1991 First gene therapy treatment of cancer (melanoma)
1992 Invention of tyrosine-kinase inhibitor Imatinib
1992 Invention of Etacstil breast cancer anti-estrogen (SERM/SERD) hormonal therapy drug that overcomes hormone-therapy resistance
1996 US FDA approves antiestrogen, aromatase inhibitor Anastrozole for advanced breast cancer
1996 Russia begins treating various cancers with photodynamic therapy
1997 First monoclonal antibody, Rituximab, is licensed
1997 Chinese doctors start treating uterine fibroids, liver cancer, breast cancer, pancreatic cancer, bone tumours, and renal cancer with ultrasound imaging-guided high-intensity focused ultrasound
1998 Chinese doctors start treating breast, kidney, lung, liver, prostate and bone cancer with imaging-guided cryoablation
1998 US FDA approves herceptin, a monoclonal antibody for HER2 metastatic breast cancer
1998 US FDA approves cryoablation for the treatment of prostate cancer
1998 US FDA approves Camptothecin-analogue irinotecan for chemotherapy of cancer
1998 US FDA approves tamoxifen to reduce breast cancer risk in high-risk patients
1998 US FDA approves monoclonal antibody, Trastuzumab for advanced HER-2 breast cancer
1998 Imaging-guided High-intensity focused ultrasound is approved for use in Europe for treatment of cancer
2000s
2001 UK NICE approves taxol for chemotherapy of breast, ovarian, and non-small cell lung cancers
2002 US FDA approves imatinib
2002 The State Food and Drug Administration of China approves Gendicine, gene therapy for cancer
2002 Corporate takeover of Dupont by BMS resulted in abandoning Etacstil breast cancer anti-estrogen (SERM/SERD) hormonal therapy drug that overcomes hormone-therapy resistance
2003 American Dr. Peter Littrup starts to treat early and metastatic breast cancer with cryoablation
2004 bevacizumab, the first approved drug to inhibit blood vessel formation by tumours, is licensed
2005 US FDA approves taxol for chemotherapy of breast, pancreatic, and non-small cell lung cancers
2006 US FDA approves herceptin
2007 US FDA approves sorafenib
2007 US FDA approves camptothecin-analogue topotecan for chemotherapy of cancer
2010 US FDA approves immunotherapy, sipuleucel-T dendritic cell vaccine for advanced prostate cancer
2010 China advances cryoimmunotherapy to treat breast, kidney, lung, liver, prostate and bone cancer
2011 US FDA approves monoclonal antibody, Ipilimumab for advanced melanoma
2011 Cuba develops and releases CimaVax-EGF, the first therapeutic cancer vaccine for lung cancer
2012 Cuba develops and releases monoclonal antibody, Racotumomab, the therapeutic cancer vaccine for lung cancer
2015 US FDA approves anti-CDK4/6, Palbociclib for advanced breast cancer
2015 US FDA approves imaging-guided high-intensity focused ultrasound for prostate cancer
See also
Treatment of cancer
History of cancer chemotherapy
References
External links
The Rise And Fall Of Modern Medicine
The Evolution of Drug Discovery: From Traditional Medicines to Modern Drugs
Chemotherapy
Treatment of Solid Tumor Cancers with the Chemotherapy Drug Methotrexate
Therapy
Cancer
Treatment Development