Cancer Chemotherapy History

Who could have guessed accidental mustard gas exposure would lead to an important cancer treatment? Surely not the group of people exposed during a World War II military operation. Their encounter with chemical warfare, however, led to modern cancer chemotherapy--now a front-line defense against the uncontrolled growth of cancer cells. Its serendipitous discovery is just part of the history of cancer chemo.

Ancient Treatments

• As far back as 300 BC, Romans used ginger root to treat skin cancer. Dioscorides, who wrote Materia Medica in the fourth century, also lists the use of red clover and autumn crocus to fight cancer. In 1938, scientists investigating Dioscorides' chemotherapy confirmed an anti-tumor agent in autumn crocus. Ancient Arab and Greek writings also identify ailments we now believe to have been cancer. Scientists isolated anti-cancer agents in the treatments they applied as well.

Combination Chemo

• In the 1860s, a researcher in London, Robert Bentley of Kings College, found the May Apple had anti-tumor properties. As scientists became better able to isolate substances in the 1880s, they found the specific agent in the May Apple that fought cancer--picropodophyllum. Once isolated, it was used as an anti-tumor medicine. However, it wasn't until 1946 that researchers discovered a second agent in May Apple and began using both in combination, another milestone for cancer chemo.

World War II

• Mustard gas is one of the strongest and most effective chemical weapons. It attacks both the eyes and skin and when inhaled damages internal organs, including the lungs. Following a WWII military operation, tests revealed those exposed to the gas had a very low white blood cell count. According to the American Cancer Society, doctors reasoned that the damage to white blood cells might also be extended to cancer cells. They gave the drug intravenously to avoid lung and skin irritation to several patients with advanced lymphomas. The results, though short-term, were stunning.

National Effort

• This success spurred researchers to try other chemicals to combat cancer. In 1955, the Cancer Chemotherapy National Service Center formed--a national effort to develop drugs. In the early 1960s, the National Cancer Institute conducted wide-scale tests. In 1962, an extract of the Pacific Yew Tree bark, Taxol, showed particular promise.

Today

• The next two decades brought the use of combination chemotherapy and the ability to cure advanced Hodgkin's disease and acute childhood leukemia. Today's efforts have brought a change to the field, as targeted treatments look at an array of cancers and advanced screening techniques.