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American Cancer Society stated that in 2008 alone there were 12.7 million new cancer cases worldwide. Estimates have found that in the same year, 7.6 million cancer patients have died, which means that every day, 21,000 people have not survived ordeals imposed by this disease. Moreover, experts say that by 2030, as a result of population growth and expansion of life expectancy are recorded annually 21.4 million new cancer cases and 13.2 million deaths caused by cancer. However, although many of us struggle daily with this insatiable monster called cancer, few are those who really know their enemy.What is cancer?As we know today, cancer is a disease caused by uncontrolled growth of a single cell. This development is triggered by mutations, changes in DNA that affect gene so increases cancer cells.If a normal cell division regulates genetic circuits and cell death. Cancer cells instead, these circuits not work, releasing cells can not stop growing.Cell division allows us as organisms, to grow, to adapt, to return after trauma and live. However, distorted and uncontrolled, cancerous cells may develop at will, they can adapt, repair and live freely, with the cost of our lives. Cancer cells grow and adapt better than we, as a kind of improved versions of our own being.  Cancer is built into the genome of each of us. Genes carrying cell division of cancer cells are not foreign to our bodies, but rather are some versions of cellular genes that perform functions essential to the human body and mutated. Cancer is printed in our society. As our species extends its lifespan increases malignant (cancerous cell mutations that accumulate with age) begin to appear. Therefore, cancer is not only a disease linked with age, but she, like people, trying to survive as long as possible. Cancer throughout historyRecently discovered archaeological data show that, historically, both people and animals suffering from cancer. Some of the earliest information on the history of cancer were found either in manuscripts or seen in Egyptian mummies that had fossilized bone tumors. Specifically, the researchers found, the mummies, bone cancer called osteosarcoma and even head and neck cancer. The oldest description of cancer was discovered in Egypt and dates back to 3000 BC Document Edwin Smith Papyrus is called and is a copy of an excerpt from a manual dealing with surgery. As he describes 8 cases of tumors or ulcers of the breast that were treated by cauterization using a special tool. However, the author of the manual, which gave him no disease name, specifies that there is no treatment for it. The name "cancer", however, was given by Hippocrates, considered the father of medicine, who coined the terms "Carcina" and "carcinoma" to describe tumors which ulcerate and those who do not ulcerate. In Greek, the word refers to the crab. Hippocrates probably wanted to make an association between the legs of the animal and how to extend the tumors. Later Roman physician Celsus, translated the Latin term, meaning the "cancer" (the Latin word for crab), and later, a Roman physician, Galen, use "Oncos" (which in Greek means swelling), to describe all tumors.Even though over several centuries, medicine has evolved only very small steps in the eighteenth century scientists begin to make important observations that will lead to the formation of cancer epidemiology. In 1713, Bernardino Ramazzini, an Italian doctor, who made medical studies reported no religious cervical cancer among them, and relatively high incidence of breast cancer. Following these findings, he was asked whether these cancers are related to their lifestyle celibate. His observation helped to a better understanding of sexually transmitted infections and how acting hormones. After 62 years of finding Ramazzini, Percival Pott at St. Bartholomew's Hospital, London, found that many chimney sweep suffering from testicular cancer and made the connection between this disease and soot. In 1620, Thomas Venner, of London, was the first man who tried to warn people about the damage caused by smoking. In his Via Recta, he noted that "excessive smoking harms the brain and eyes, inducing tremors of the limbs and heart." Nearly 150 years after that event, in 1761, John Hil published book "precautions against excessive smoking." These notes were taken later (in 1950) to develop research that has shown that smoking can cause lung cancer. However, cancer was understood only in the nineteenth century, when it was found that all plants and animals are composed of cells that arise from other cells. Understanding the functioning mechanismOn 19 March 1845, the Scottish doctor, John Bennett discovered an unusual case. One of his patients, a bricklayer aged 28 years show a mysterious swelling in the spleen. "He has a dark complexion, usually healthy and temperate. He claims that 20 months ago can not make the effort.In June he noticed a tumor on the left side of the abdomen, which increased for 4 months and then to stagnate, "noted Bennett.Although it seemed that the disease will not evolve over the next few weeks the patient experienced fever, bleeding, abdominal pain. At first there were only troublesome symptoms. With time, but they have become increasingly frequent and difficult. It was not long until tumors have spread to the groin, armpits and neck. Although he was treated with leeches, as usual, his condition continued to worsen. At autopsy, Bennett found that the patient's blood or there is too many of the white blood cells (which usually occur in response to an infection in the body). Following the results, Bennett believed that universal form pus inside the vascular system. Explanation would have satisfied the doctor, but only if the source had found pus. Unable to find no injury and no abscess, Bennett has called for "a discharge of blood" and gave further research. Of course Bennett was wrong on that diagnosis. Just four months after this incident, a German researcher aged 24 years, Rudolf Virchow published a report in which this case similar to that of Bennet. This time, the patient was a cook who was about 55 years whose blood was invaded by white blood cells that are made in the spleen. At autopsy, pathologists have not needed a microscope to see the thick milky white blood cells floating above the red. Virchow, who was familiar with Bennett's report on the diagnosis masons could not agree with the theory of London, considering that blood can not simply turn into something else. Being bothered by unusual symptoms, Virchow came to wonder whether the blood itself was unusual. Unable to find an explanation for the occurrence of this disease, he called Weisses Blut, or white blood. In 1847, however, Virchow decided to change the name of the disease with a more academic and renamed "leukemia" from the Greek word "leukos" (white) and "AIMA" (blood).  Failing to give the head of this disease, Virchow studied medicine whom are committed to remain faithful until the end of days, which is why he will go down in history as the "father of pathology".However, this frustration leads to one of the most important findings from the medical field: cell theory, which exposes it's ministry cellulite Cellulite Omnis. Once you understand cell division continue their studies scholar harsh cancer and tumors of this kind finds that the uncontrolled growth of cells, a type of hyperplasia in extreme form. However, because tumors seemed to have a life form of its own, as cells were owned by another source that causes them to grow, Virchow called the phenomenon "neoplasia". So to find the end, in 1902, Virchow fails to erase from the medical related theory of "oozing blood", prompting scientists to adopt the one that cancer is a disease characterized by pathological hyperplasia causing cells to replicate autonomously. This creates uncontrolled tissue masses (tumors) that destroy healthy tissues. Also, scientists of the time embraced, thanks to Virchow, the idea that these tumors can spread to form metastases. Until then, cancer was observed in various forms and specialists had produced that it appears as a result of uncontrolled cell division. German scholar's work helped epidemiologists to continue their studies not only to detect the factors influencing cancer (such as smoking, obesity, radiation), but also the ways in which the disease could be prevented. Understanding the formation of these diseases is downright evil, scientists have begun to conduct studies in order to find more information that could lead, if not to the creation of effective treatments, even to finding prevention methods. In 1915, for example, Yamagiwa and Koichi Ichikawa Katsusaburo the University of Tokyo have shown, in laboratory animals that coal tar may cause cancer. TreatmentsAfter World War II, discoveries in medicine continued to evolve with rapidly that no longer had never. Due to industrialization, pharmaceutical companies have brought many products available to the public, so that almost any disease can be treated. The consequence of this explosive development of pharmaceuticals has been expanding life from 47 to 68 years, in just half a century.However, the scientifically premature war was disastrous. In the 70s, the man had already reached the moon, but failed to form a science of cancer yet. At that time, scientists did not understand how to get to malignant cells.  ChemotherapyThe first patient cured of cancer metastasis occurred in 1956, when methotrexate, drug used in chemotherapy today, has been used to treat a rare tumor called choriocarcinoma. In the coming years, experiments have shown that this drug may also be used to treat other cancers. This success is due Sidney Farber, a pediatric pathologist in Boston, showing that aminopterina, a compound related with folic acid (vitamin B9) causes remission of childhood leukemia. Later treatment used by Farber became predecessor methotrexate.Thus, the birth was chemotherapy , "health vision of hell" as we called Siddhartha Mukherjee, author of The Emperor of All Maladies. All major world publications began to publish studies about cancer. In bookstores shelves are occupied by books or cinema oncology not avoid the topic.To treat with chemotherapy, patients were locked in rooms, a kind of prison where no one was allowed to utter the word "cancer". Also, all jams rooms were fitted with wire mesh in an attempt to prevent suffering, who had orange skin (because of the treatment they were given), to commit suicide. SurgeryIn the '70s, modern clinical studies have shown that surgery can be effective for removing breast cancer. Today, radical mastectomy (removal involves the pectoral muscles and lymph nodes under the arm), is extremely rare and modified radical mastectomy (where to store both or at least one of the pectoral muscles) is also seen more frequently than in the past.  In the last years of the twentieth century, surgeons increasingly developed revolutionary techniques by which manage to draw as little healthy tissue during a surgical removal of the cancer. As has evolved from mastectomy to tumorectomie, progress has been made in terms of removing bone tumors and those located in soft tissues, such as those of States, without the need for amputation. These advances have depended not only a good understanding of cancer and the emergence of suitable surgical instruments, but also the combining operations with chemotherapy or radiation treatments. Until the last decades of the last century, in many cases, require opening the patient's cancer diagnosis, so that the surgeon can remove tissue samples. Fortunately, in the late 70's begin to use special diagnostic techniques such as ultrasound, CT, and magnetic resonance imaging techniques positron emission tomography with. Hormonal treatmentsAnother discovery, this time one of the nineteenth century, laid the foundation for a modern method used in the treatment and prevention of breast cancer. In 1878, Thomas Beatson, a graduate of Edinburgh University, found that rabbits breasts stop producing milk after removal of the ovaries. Analyzing more than the phenomenon he observed that oophorectomy helps those suffering from breast cancer and the female hormone estrogen plays an important role in cancers of this type. Thus, his studies were the cornerstone for creating hormonal therapy. Half a century after the discovery of Beatson, Charles Huggins, a urologist at the University of Chicago found that removal of the testes induces dramatic regression of metastatic prostate cancer. Shortly thereafter, it was decided that this type of cancer can be stopped with treatment that blocks the production of hormones. Radiation In 1895, Wilhelm Conrad Roentgen, announces the discovery of emission of penetrating radiation that X-ray called Globally, everyone welcomed the German physicist success in just a few months, X-rays are beginning to be used to diagnose patients for then, over 3 years they are used in cancer treatment. At first use radium radiation therapy and diagnostic machines with low voltage which improves the survival of patients. However, not long before doctors and realized that the rays have a dark side, because in large quantities it can promote cancer. Over time, the methods and devices used in radiation therapy have become increasingly better.Today, radiation dosage is very accurate, so they just destroy cancerous tissue, and not the healthy. A better understanding of the biology of cancer cells has led to the development of biological agents able to mimic some natural signals that the body uses in order to control cell growth.Clinical trials began, one by one, to support cancer treatment called biotherapy or immunotherapy.Now, some of these biological agents, which occur naturally in the body, can be achieved in the laboratory. Being manage cancer patients, biological agents influence natural immune response to attack cancer cells. Despite this variety of treatments, not all cancers respond equally and not all therapies are paying off. For this reason, recently, personalized medicine tries to find useful combinations of treatments each individual. Of course, the procedure is as unique as it is expensive. It involves taking the patient's cancerous tissue and implant it into a series of mice, which is done tests to find out what treatment reacts better against that type of cancer. Now, a group of pharmaceutical companies believe that the key to overcoming cancer might find even among those studies already completed. In this sense they advocate for sharing of data arising from studies in order to improve the success rate of anticancer therapies. Called DataSphare, the project aims to create a repository of information collected from studies conducted by companies and universities on cancer. Although thousands of years no one has found a way to stop this evil disease, we must consider that all these discoveries and cancer treatments have behind them a very large job, thousands of surveys, reports and studies clinical. To allow us to realize the great strides that medicine has made in recent centuries, we can do a little imagination exercise. What if Persian queen, Atossa, who lived around 500 BC and who suffered from breast cancer would be able to travel in time, century after century. Two hundred years after she told a Greek slave named Democedes, tumor extirpate them in the form of what seems one of the most primitive mastectomy, Atossa would find that Hippocrates has a name for her illness and that he is karkinos. Over another thousand years, it could suffer another intervention by which the tumor is removed, but not good enough to prevent its recurrence. In 1778, the clinic of John Hunter, the Queen would find that tumor removal operations are performed only when the disease is at an early stage. As submitted to the nineteenth century, Atossa has another chance to escape the disease. New surgery seems more dangerous because it is a radical mastectomy, but more promising. In early 1900, her illness could be treated only by X-ray therapy, because 50 years later, another generation of doctors to combine two strategies: simple mastectomy and radiation. In the 70s Queen disease is likely to disappear and for the first time there is hope that it will not recur. Finally, in the XXI century, Atossa has the ability to not be exposed to toxic treatments without knowing for sure whether or not it benefits them. For the first time, it can first try therapies in mice avatar. Although it is not possible to make comparisons between techniques 2500 years ago and today, we must stress that if Atossa had lived now and had been diagnosed with breast cancer at age 40, she had able to live 15-20 years, thanks to new treatments.