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100 Years of Advances Against Cancer - 1940s-1950s
| 1940 |
The first issue of the Journal of the National Cancer Institute is published. |
| 1941 |
Charles Huggins discovers that blocking male hormones (by removal of the testicles or administration of estrogens) could cause the regression of prostate tumors. The "hormonal therapy" of prostate cancer is still used today. |
| 1943 |
The Pap smear is introduced into medical practice. |
| 1944 |
DNA is found by Oswald T. Avery, Colin MacLeod, and Maclyn McCarty to be the basic genetic material. |
| 1947 |
Sidney Farber finds that a folic acid derivative inhibits acute leukemia. This first antimetabolite leads to a category of drugs that interfere with cell processes because they share structural similarities with compounds required in normal cell activities. |
| 1948 |
George Hitchings synthesizes 6-mercaptopurine (6-MP), an antimetabolite, to combat childhood leukemia. |
| 1949 |
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approves nitrogen mustard (mechlorethamine), a drug that interacts with DNA chemically (an alkylating agent) to kill cancer cells. |
| 1950 |
Ernst Wynder, Evarts Graham, and Sir Richard Doll confirm the cigarette smoking-cancer link. |
| 1952 |
DNA is found to be the genetic material of some viruses. |
| 1953 |
James Watson and Francis Crick discover the structure of DNA.
The FDA approves methotrexate, an antimetabolite derived from folic acid, and 6-mercaptopurine as anticancer drugs. |
| 1955 |
NCI's Clinical Trials Cooperative Group Program is established.
The National Chemotherapy Program begins.
Roy Hertz and Min Chiu Li achieve total cure of a human solid tumor, choriocarcinoma. |
| 1957 |
Alick Isaacs and Jean Lindenmann discover interferon, a virus fighter made by cells.
Charles Heidelberger introduces 5-fluorouracil (5-FU), a new type of anticancer drug that resulted from rational design. |
| 1958 |
NCI scientists pioneer the use of combination chemotherapy. Partial and complete remissions, as well as prolonged survival, were observed in children and adults with acute leukemia who were treated with combinations of 6-mecaptopurine and methotrexate. |
| 1959 |
Cyclophosphamide (Cytoxan), an alkylating agent designed to improve the selectivity of cancer drugs, is approved by the FDA. |
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