A Short History of Cancer: How Did We Get Here?

Abstract

Cancer is a disease that is integral to our biologic nature as multicellular organisms that evolve through the basic process of mutation and selection. Although it has existed for mega-anna, its origins and causes have been only recently understood on a basic level. For much of human existence, magical thinking and superstition dominated beliefs about cancer. Until the last century, it was thought to be an incurable scourge. Milestones in the biological and physical sciences that enabled an increasingly greater understanding of the nature of cancer led to the identification of cancer causation on an environmental and molecular level. Approaches to treatment evolved in parallel, shaping modern medical oncology, radiation oncology, and oncological surgery. Today, orchestrated team science approaches to the investigation of cancer biology and the development and testing of new treatments are enabled by advances in technology development and data science. Although much remains unknown, both scientifically and medically, the rate of process has increased exponentially. This chapter traces the evolution of our understanding of cancer and advances in treatment that have increased survival and enabled cure for many cancers. Seminal discoveries and major contributions are highlighted in this brief summary of progress in cancer biomedicine and bioscience.