How was cancer treated in the past?

Answer 1

Mastectomy was the first "modern treatment" and was performed in 1882 at Johns Hopkins Hospital by William Halsted the father of modern aseptic surgical technique.

from Wikipedia "history of breast cancer":

"Mastectomy for breast cancer was performed at least as early as AD 548, when it was proposed by the court physician Aetios of Amida to Theodora. It was not until doctors achieved greater understanding of the circulatory system in the 17th century that they could link Breast cancer's spread to the lymph nodes in the armpit. The French surgeon Jean Louis Petit (1674--1750) and later the Scottish surgeon Benjamin Bell (1749--1806) were the first to remove the lymph nodes, breast tissue, and underlying chest muscle.

Their successful work was carried on by William Stewart Halsted who started performing radical mastectomies in 1882, helped greatly by advances in general surgical technology, such as aseptic techniqueand anesthesia. The Halsted radical mastectomy often involved removing both breasts, associated lymph nodes, and the underlying chest muscles. This often led to long-term pain and disability, but was seen as necessary in order to prevent the cancer from recurring. Before the advent of the Halsted radical mastectomy, 20-year survival rates were only 10%; Halsted's surgery raised that rate to 50%.

Answer 2

In the past, cancer was treated through diet. Surgery was used to reduce tumors. The invention of chemotherapy was a major advancement in cancer treatment because it allowed the treatment of cells that could not be seen.

Answer 3

•Halsted began performing radical mastectomies routinely. He theorized that breast cancer spreads locally, or through the lymphatic channels, and, therefore, radical surgery was required. Two years later, in 1896, Beatson observed regression of metastatic skin nodules in women with advanced breast cancer treated with ophorectomy.

Answer 4

There was no way to treat lung cancer or any other type of cancer, sadly they just died because no hospitals and stuff had the money or the equipment to treat cancer, so there was no way for the patient to recover so there were nothing the doctors/ nursers could do so they just had to die very sadly indeed.

Answer 5

they didn't they just died no way to treat =)

Answer 6

The first documented case of cancer was in the times of the Ancient Egyptians, and at that time the tumors were burned away with something referred to as a "Fire Drill"