Timeline of cancer treatment development

• 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[5]
• 1880s  – American Dr. William Stewart Halsted develops radical mastectomy for breast cancer[4]
• 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[6][7]
• 1896  – French Dr. Victor Despeignes, "the father of radiation therapy", starts to use X-rays to treat cancer[8]
• 1896  – American Dr. Emil Grubbe starts to treat breast cancer patients with X-rays[4]
• 1896 Sir George Thomas Beatson

Invented hormonal treatment of breast cancer by bilateral ovary removal in women with inoperable breast cancer.

• 1900  – Swedish Dr. Stenbeck cures a skin cancer with small doses of radiation[4]
• 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 a fanatical 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[9]
• 1939  – American Dr. Charles Huggins uses synthetic hormone therapy to treat prostate cancer[10]
• 1942  – First chemotherapy drug mustine used to treat cancer[11]
• 1947  – American Dr. Sidney Farber induces brief remission in a patient with leukaemia with the antifolate drug aminopterin (methotrexate)[4]
• 1949  – US FDA approves mechlorethamine, a nitrogen mustard compound, for treatment of cancer[12]
• 1949  – Oncolytic viruses began human clinical trials[13][14]
• 1951  – Dr. Jane C. Wright demonstrated the use of the antifolate, methotrexate in solid tumors, showing remission in breast cancer[4]
• 1950s  – Anti-cancer anthracyclines isolated from the Streptomyces peucetius bacteria. Anthracycline-based derivatives include: daunorubicin, doxorubicin, amrubicin, idarubicin[15]
• 1953  – US FDA approves Mercaptopurine (6 MP), an immunosuppressive agent[16]
• 1956  – Metastatic choriocarcinoma cancer is cured with the antifolate, methotrexate[4]
• 1957  – Introduction of fluorouracil to treat colorectal, breast, stomach, and pancreatic cancers[10]
• 1957  – Introduction of interferon to treat kidney, skin, and bladder cancer[10]
• 1958  – Combination therapy consisting of 6-mercaptopurine and methotrexate results in a cure of leukaemia in a trial run in US hospitals[4][12]
• 1958  – US FDA approves cyclophosphamide for chemotherapy of cancer[17]
• 1960s  – Introduction of laser therapy in treatment of cancer[18]
• 1960  – Invention of tamoxifen breast cancer anti-estrogen (SERM) hormonal therapy drug
• 1961  – Vincristine, anti-cancer alkaloid, isolated from the Madagascar periwinkle plant[19]
• 1962  – US FDA disapproves Dr. Coley's immunotherapy, making it illegal; radiation therapy remained the dominant treatment for cancer[9]
• 1963  – US FDA approves vincristine (Oncovin) for chemotherapy of cancer[19]
• 1964  – VAMP regimen combination therapy, consisting of: vincristine, amethopterin, 6-mercaptopurine, and prednisone, induces long-term remissions in juvenile acute lymphoblastic leukemia[20]
• 1965  – MOPP regimen combination therapy cures advanced Hodgkin's lymphoma, with the combination of: nitrogen mustard, vincristine, procarbazine, and prednisone[4][10]
• 1965  – MOMP regimen combination therapy, consisting of: methotrexate, vincristine, 6-MP, and prednisone, induces long-term remissions in juvenile acute lymphoblastic leukemia[10][20]
• 1965  – Latvian scientist Aina Muceniece identifies echovirus as a potential agent for oncolytic virotherapy, resulting in the development of RIGVIR[21]
• 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.[22] 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[23][24][25]
• 1972  – UK and other European countries approve tamoxifen for breast cancer
• 1972  – American Dr. Lawrence Einhorn cures metastatic testicular cancer with cisplatin[10]
• 1975  – Invention of monoclonal antibodies[4]
• 1975  – American Dr. Einhorn shows combination therapy consisting of cisplatinum, vinblastine, and bleomycin can cure 70% of advanced testicular cancer cases[20]
• 1975  – C-MOPP regimen combination therapy, consisting of: methotrexate, vincristine, cyclophosphamide, and prednisone, cured advanced diffuse large B-cell lymphoma[20]
• 1977  – US FDA approves tamoxifen for metastatic breast cancer only, not widely popular as chemotherapy remains first line of treatment[26][27]
• 1981  – American Dr. Bernard Fisher proves lumpectomy is as effective as mastectomy for breast cancer[4]
• 1989  – US FDA approves Carboplatin, a derivative of cisplatin, for chemotherapy[10]
• 1990  – US FDA approves tamoxifen for major additional use to help prevent the recurrence of cancer in "node-negative" patients[28]
• 1990  – China begins treating various cancers with photodynamic therapy[29]
• 1991  – First gene therapy treatment of cancer (melanoma)
• 1992  – Invention of tyrosine-kinase inhibitor Imatinib[30]
• 1992  – Invention of Etacstil breast cancer anti-estrogen (SERM/SERD) hormonal therapy drug that overcomes hormone-therapy resistance[31][32]
• 1996  – US FDA approves antiestrogen, aromatase inhibitor Anastrozole for advanced breast cancer[12]
• 1996  – Russia begins treating various cancers with photodynamic therapy[33]
• 1997  – First monoclonal antibody, Rituximab, is licensed[4]
• 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[34]
• 1998  – Chinese doctors start treating breast, kidney, lung, liver, prostate and bone cancer with imaging-guided cryoablation[35][36]
• 1998  – US FDA approves herceptin, a monoclonal antibody for HER2 metastatic breast cancer[10]
• 1998  – US FDA approves cryoablation for the treatment of prostate cancer[28]
• 1998  – US FDA approves Camptothecin-analogue irinotecan for chemotherapy of cancer[37]
• 1998  – US FDA approves tamoxifen to reduce breast cancer risk in high-risk patients[10]
• 1998  – US FDA approves monoclonal antibody, Trastuzumab for advanced HER-2 breast cancer[12]
• 1998  – Imaging-guided High-intensity focused ultrasound is approved for use in Europe for treatment of cancer[38]

• 2001  – UK NICE approves taxol for chemotherapy of breast, ovarian, and non-small cell lung cancers[39]
• 2002  – US FDA approves imatinib[10]
• 2002  – Chinese FDA approves Gendicine, gene therapy for cancer[10][40]
• 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[32][41]
• 2003  – American Dr. Peter Littrup starts to treat early and metastatic breast cancer with cryoablation[25]
• 2004  – bevacizumab, the first approved drug to inhibit blood vessel formation by tumours, is licensed[4]
• 2005  – US FDA approves taxol for chemotherapy of breast, pancreatic, and non-small cell lung cancers[42]
• 2006  – US FDA approves herceptin[10]
• 2007  – US FDA approves sorafenib[10]
• 2007  – US FDA approves camptothecin-analogue topotecan for chemotherapy of cancer[42]
• 2010  – US FDA approves immunotherapy, sipuleucel-T dendritic cell vaccine for advanced prostate cancer[12]
• 2010  – China advances cryoimmunotherapy to treat breast, kidney, lung, liver, prostate and bone cancer[43][44][45]
• 2011  – US FDA approves monoclonal antibody, Ipilimumab for advanced melanoma[12]
• 2011  – Cuba develops and releases CimaVax-EGF, the first therapeutic cancer vaccine for lung cancer[46]
• 2012  – Cuba develops and releases monoclonal antibody, Racotumomab, the therapeutic cancer vaccine for lung cancer[47]
• 2015  – US FDA approves anti-CDK4/6, Palbociclib for advanced breast cancer[12]
• 2015  – US FDA approves imaging-guided High-intensity focused ultrasound for prostate cancer[48]