History of Image-Guided Tumor Ablation

Abstract

The oldest known account of cancer dates from approximately 3,000–2,500 B.C. An Egyptian papyrus manuscript describes eight ulcers of the breast. Twelve centuries later, the Greek physician Hippocrates developed the theory of ‘black bile’ as the sinister porter of cancer and employed the word ‘carcinoma’. In the Renaissance, after years of extensive autopsies, anatomist Andreas Vesalius dispelled the theory of ‘black bile’ and developed one of the most influential books on anatomy ‘de humani corporis fabrica’. In the 18th century the first proper oncological surgical procedures were performed. The late 19th century saw the emergence of two other mainstays of cancer therapy: systemic chemotherapy and external beam radiation therapy. The past decades, image-guided tumor ablation techniques were developed, further broadening treatment possibilities and oncologic survival. This chapter provides a brief overview of the history of cancer and the development of cancer treatment throughout the centuries.