A Shadow as Old as Time: A History of Cancer Through the Ages

Although modern medicine has improved the survival rate of many cancer types, cancer remains the second leading cause of death in the USA.2 It is estimated that 1,898,160 new cancer cases will be diagnosed in 2021 in the USA, with 608,570 patients succumbing to the disease.2 The overall mortality rate of cancer patients is dependent on type of cancer, incidence, stage of diagnosis, and efficacy of available treatments.2,3 For example, USA cancer mortality rates peaked in 1991 (215 cancer deaths per 100,000 cases) due to the smoking epidemic, which resulted in high incidences of lung cancer (until recently, the most common cancer), but a reduction in smoking habits have seen an improvement in both lung cancer mortality and overall cancer mortality.2,3 Furthermore, numerous treatment breakthroughs have significantly reduced mortality in specific cancers, such as melanoma.