Breast Cancer History
First written about a millennia ago, misunderstood for centuries and still the subject of much research, the history of breast cancer is complex and long-running. The disease has been known about since ancient times, but as with so many forms of cancer, breast cancer treatment was not effective until the 20th century. This was due in part to misconceptions about the nature of the disease.
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Classical References
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The earliest descriptions of breast cancer date back to ancient Egypt, sometime around 3000 BCE. In the second century CE, the Roman physician Galen claims breast cancer is caused by excessive "black bile."
19th Century Developments
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In 1882, Dr. William Halstead, an American surgeon, developed a technique known as the radical mastectomy. This procedure involves removing not only the entire breast but chest muscle and lymph nodes as well.
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Early 20th Century Advances
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In 1905, Dr. Carl Steinthal is the first to divide breast cancer into stages. In 1913, German doctor Albert Salomon discovers the many types of breast cancer by examining X-rays of breast tissue.
The End of the Halstead View
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The Halstead mastectomy fell out of favor in the 1950s, when doctors like George Crile began to argue that cancer cells travel throughout the body and mastectomy was not a foolproof way to defeat cancer. Research throughout hte 1970s showed that radiation therapy could be just as effective.
Late 20th Century/Early 21st Century
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According to the U.K. Breast Cancer Campaign, by 1995, less than 10 percent of women who developed breast cancer elected to have a mastectomy. Today, researchers have discovered that two genes cause breast cancer: BRCA2 and ATM.
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