| Cancer is a class of diseases or | | | | cancer could occur anywhere in the body, |
| disorders characterized by uncontrolled | | | | but humor-theory based treatment |
| division of cells and the ability of | | | | remained popular until the 19th century |
| these cells to invade other tissues, | | | | with the discovery of cells. |
| either by direct growth into adjacent | | | | Though treatment remained the same, in |
| tissue through invasion or by | | | | the 16th and 17th centuries it became |
| implantation into distant sites by | | | | more acceptable for doctors to dissect |
| metastasis. Metastasis is defined as the | | | | bodies to discover the cause of death. |
| stage in which cancer cells are | | | | The German professor Wilhelm Fabry |
| transported through the bloodstream or | | | | believed that breast cancer was caused |
| lymphatic system. Cancer may affect | | | | by a milk clot in a mammary duct. The |
| people at all ages, but risk tends to | | | | Dutch professor Francois de la Boe |
| increase with age, due to the fact that | | | | Sylvius, a follower of Descartes, |
| DNA damage becomes more apparent in | | | | believed that all disease was the |
| aging DNA. It is one of the principal | | | | outcome of chemical processes, and that |
| causes of death in developed countries. | | | | acidic lymph fluid was the cause of |
| There are many types of cancer. Severity | | | | cancer. His contemporary Nicolaes Tulp |
| of symptoms depends on the site and | | | | believed that cancer was a poison that |
| character of the malignancy and whether | | | | slowly spreads, and concluded that it |
| there is metastasis. A definitive | | | | was contagious.[citation needed] |
| diagnosis usually requires the | | | | With the widespread use of the |
| histologic examination of tissue by a | | | | microscope in the 18th century, it was |
| pathologist. This tissue is obtained by | | | | discovered that the 'cancer poison' |
| biopsy or surgery. Most cancers can be | | | | spread from the primary tumor through |
| treated and some cured, depending on the | | | | the lymph nodes to other sites |
| specific type, location, and stage. Once | | | | ("metastasis"). The use of surgery to |
| diagnosed, cancer is usually treated | | | | treat cancer had poor results due to |
| with a combination of surgery, | | | | problems with hygiene. The renowned |
| chemotherapy and radiotherapy. As | | | | Scottish surgeon Alexander Monro |
| research develops, treatments are | | | | (1697-1767) saw only 2 breast tumor |
| becoming more specific for the type of | | | | patients out of 60 surviving surgery for |
| cancer pathology. Drugs that target | | | | two years. In the 19th century, asepsis |
| specific cancers already exist for | | | | improved surgical hygiene and as the |
| several cancers. If untreated, cancers | | | | survival statistics went up, surgical |
| may eventually cause illness and death, | | | | removal of the tumor became the primary |
| though this is not always the case. | | | | treatment for cancer. With the exception |
| The unregulated growth that | | | | of William Coley who in the late 1800s |
| characterizes cancer is caused by damage | | | | felt that the rate of cure after surgery |
| to DNA, resulting in mutations to genes | | | | had been higher before asepsis (and who |
| that encode for proteins controlling | | | | injected bacteria into tumors with mixed |
| cell division. Many mutation events may | | | | results), cancer treatment became |
| be required to transform a normal cell | | | | dependent on the individual art of the |
| into a malignant cell. These mutations | | | | surgeon at removing a tumor. During the |
| can be caused by chemicals or physical | | | | same period, the idea that the body was |
| agents called carcinogens, by close | | | | made up of various tissues, that in turn |
| exposure to radioactive materials, or by | | | | were made up of millions of cells, laid |
| certain viruses that can insert their | | | | rest the humor-theories about chemical |
| DNA into the human genome. Mutations | | | | imbalances in the body. The age of |
| occur spontaneously, and may be passed | | | | cellular pathology was born. |
| down from one generation to the next as | | | | When Marie Curie and Pierre Curie |
| a result of mutations within germ lines. | | | | discovered radiation at the end of the |
| Many forms of cancer are associated with | | | | 19th century, they stumbled upon the |
| exposure to environmental factors such | | | | first effective non-surgical cancer |
| as tobacco smoke, radiation, alcohol and | | | | treatment. With radiation came also the |
| certain viruses. While some of these | | | | first signs of multi-disciplinary |
| risk factors can be avoided or reduced, | | | | approaches to cancer treatment. The |
| there is no known way to entirely avoid | | | | surgeon was no longer operating in |
| the disease. | | | | isolation, but worked together with |
| Today, carcinoma is the medical term for | | | | hospital radiologists to help patients. |
| a malignant tumor derived from | | | | The complications in communication this |
| epithelial cells. It is Celsus who | | | | brought, along with the necessity of the |
| translated carcinos into the Latin | | | | patient's treatment in a hospital |
| cancer, also meaning crab. Galen used | | | | facility rather than at home, also |
| "oncos" to describe all tumours, the | | | | created a parallel process of compiling |
| root for the modern word oncology. | | | | patient data into hospital files, which |
| Breast cancer in a mastectomy specimen | | | | in turn led to the first statistical |
| (top). The cancerous tumour (pale | | | | patient studies. |
| yellow) resembles a crab (bottom photo, | | | | Cancer patient treatment and studies |
| by Chouby, Hippocrates described several | | | | were restricted to individual |
| kinds of cancers. He called benign | | | | physicians' practices until WWII, when |
| tumours oncos, Greek for swelling, and | | | | medical research centers discovered that |
| malignant tumours carcinos, Greek for | | | | there were large international |
| crab or crayfish. This name probably | | | | differences in disease incidence. This |
| comes from the appearance of the cut | | | | insight drove national public health |
| surface of a solid malignant tumour, | | | | bodies to make it possible to compile |
| with a roundish hard center surrounded | | | | health data across practises and |
| by pointy projections, vaguely | | | | hospitals, a process that many countries |
| resembling the shape of a crab (see | | | | do today. The Japanese medical community |
| photo). He later added the suffix -oma, | | | | observed that the bone marrow of bomb |
| Greek for swelling, giving the name | | | | victims in Hiroshima and Nagasaki was |
| carcinoma. Since it was against Greek | | | | completely destroyed. They concluded |
| tradition to open the body, Hippocrates | | | | that diseased bone marrow could also be |
| only described and made drawings of | | | | destroyed with radiation, and this led |
| outwardly visible tumors on the skin, | | | | to the discovery of bone marrow |
| nose, and breasts. Treatment was based | | | | transplants for leukemia. Since WWII, |
| on the humor theory of four bodily | | | | trends in cancer treatment are to |
| fluids (black and yellow bile, blood, | | | | improve on a micro-level the existing |
| and phlegm). According to the patient's | | | | treatment methods, standardize them, and |
| humor, treatment consisted of diet, | | | | globalize them as a way to find cures |
| blood-letting, and/or laxatives. Through | | | | through epidemiology and international |
| the centuries it was discovered that | | | | partnerships. |