From ancient crab-like tumors to modern genetic science, the long war against cancer.

History · Published 3 October 2026 Swipe more like this →

In short: For millennia, cancer was a mysterious, often fatal affliction attributed to black bile or divine punishment. Today, we understand it as a complex cellular disease. From the first link between chimney soot and tumors to the discovery of oncogenes, our approach has shifted from crude cauterization to precision molecular medicine.

The history of cancer is a transition from ancient superstition to rigorous cell biology. Early descriptions in the Edwin Smith papyrus, dating to 3000 BCE, focused on tumors treated by cauterization. By 400 BCE, Hippocrates coined the term karkinos—Greek for crab—to describe the way tumors spread, while Galen later proposed that excess black bile caused the disease. These humoral theories dominated medical thought for centuries, only being overturned in the mid-1800s when Rudolf Virchow demonstrated that tumors are composed of cells arising from healthy tissue.

The 18th century marked the first breakthrough in identifying environmental causes, when Percivall Pott linked chimney soot to scrotal cancer in 1775. This realization that external agents could trigger malignancy paved the way for experimental proof, such as the 1915 induction of cancer in rabbits using coal tar. Simultaneously, the 19th and 20th centuries saw the birth of modern oncology through surgical advancements, radiation therapy, and chemotherapy. The discovery of X-rays by Wilhelm Röntgen in 1895 provided both a diagnostic tool and a treatment method, while the 1940s introduced nitrogen mustards and folic acid antagonists as the first chemotherapeutic agents.

The late 20th century redefined cancer as a genetic disorder. In 1902, Theodor Boveri proposed that tumors arise from chromosome damage, a theory that eventually led to the 1970s discovery of oncogenes—genetic material capable of inducing cancer. This molecular understanding culminated in the 1994 and 1995 identification of BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes, which provided concrete evidence of inherited cancer susceptibility. Today, the field continues to evolve through immunotherapy and targeted therapies, transforming cancer from a largely fatal diagnosis into a condition that can often be managed, prevented, or cured.

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