AACR Centennial Series

The History of Cancer Research: Introducing an AACR

Centennial Series
1 2
I. Bernard Weinstein and Kathleen Case
1
Columbia University Medical Center, New York, New York; and 2American Association for Cancer Research,
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

A century is only a small segment in the timeline measuring the association of the use of snuff with nasal polyps, by Percival Pott of
history of science through the ages, but for cancer research, the last the association of soot with scrotal cancer in chimney sweeps, and
100 years overshadow all of the years that came before. Physicians by Bernadino Ramazzini of the association of reproductive factors
have moved from being able to do very little to treat patients to with breast cancer. In the last decade of the 19th century, Ludwig
achieving survival and cure rates no one believed possible. Just a few Rehn reported an association between occupational exposure to
decades ago, young investigators and physicians were often told not aromatic amines and bladder cancer, thus setting the stage for the
to go into oncology because the disease is so complex and the identification during the 20th century of other specific chemical

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clinical outcomes were so discouraging. Today, oncology is one of carcinogens in the workplace and the environment.
the most exciting fields in biomedicine because of the many Early evidence for the multistage and multifactor nature of the
astonishing advances research continues to yield. carcinogenic process was revealed by the experimental studies of
The field of cancer research had begun to grow rapidly by the Yamagiwa and Ichikawa at the beginning of the 20th century.
end of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th. In Europe, Within just a few years after the founding of the AACR, the first
spontaneous tumors had been propagated in mice, and Gaylord tumor viruses were identified in chickens by Ellerman and Bong
and Tyzzer, two of the founders of the American Association for (1909) and Peyton Rous (1911). A few decades later, the Rous virus
Cancer Research (AACR), soon expanded this research in America. provided evidence for the first oncogene (src), and thus launched
Use of radium and X-rays was in its infancy. American institutes for the field of molecular biology of cancer.
research were being established (Roswell Park, The Rockefeller Tumor transplantation was reported by Mistislav Novinsky in
Institute, and The Institute of Cancer Research at Columbia 1877 and further studied by Carl Jensen in 1903. The technique of
University), and private endowments to fund research were cell culture was established by Carrel and Burrows (1911). Gregor
beginning to proliferate, although direct government research Mendel’s Principles of Inheritance (1880) were rediscovered in 1900.
support was not yet available. The first congresses on cancer had The field of mouse genetics had just begun, with pioneering studies
just been held in Europe. by Ernest Tyzzer (1908), as mentioned above, a founder of the
The level of optimism was so high during this period that Roswell AACR. Genetic studies in Drosophila had begun, and in 1914,
Park (who was instrumental in starting the institute at Buffalo now Theodor Boveri made the prophetic postulate that chromosomes
named after him) stated that the discovery of the cause of cancer was were the carriers of hereditary information and that cancer was
‘‘just around the corner’’ (1). Within this spirit of enthusiasm, a group due to defects in the chromosomes.
of 11 American pathologists, surgeons, and chemists proposed The exciting progress in cancer research during the past century
forming an organization. The AACR was founded in Washington DC has tended to parallel the successive developments in fundamental
on May 7, 1907, and its purpose was soon defined as ‘‘to further the biology and biomedical research. Thus, in the late 1800s and early
investigation and spread the knowledge of cancer’’ (2). 1900s, the emphasis in cancer research was on cytology and
It is interesting to reflect on what was known about cancer at the genetics, and genetic studies in mice and humans continued to
play a major role in cancer research. This was followed by studies
time AACR was founded (3). The earliest theory of cancer was
in the field of biochemistry and intermediary metabolism (about
based on the humoral theory of disease articulated by Hippocrates
1920 to 1950), studies emphasizing DNA and nucleic acids (about
(460–370 BCE). It postulated that the disease was due to an excess
1950 to the present), studies on receptors and pathways of signal
of black bile. Apparently, this was not a bad hypothesis since it
transduction (1980 to the present), and within the past decade,
lasted about 1,900 years! However, during this time, the theory was
studies on gene transcription, epigenetic control of gene expres-
never challenged by actual inquiry until the Renaissance, when
sion, genomics, and systems biology.
anatomic dissection by Andreas Vesalius and others failed to reveal
The very recent discovery, originally in plants, of the regulatory
the existence of black bile. In the 1700s, it was postulated that
roles of small RNAs is also providing new insights into the biology of
cancer arose from coagulated lymph. The modern era of cancer
cancer. The latter example, which was totally unanticipated,
research really began in the 19th century and led to the current
suggests that within the next few years, other discoveries about
concept developed by several investigators, notably Rudolf
fundamental aspects of cell biology will be made that will provide
Virchow, that cancer is a disease of cells.
further insights into the wayward behavior of cancer cells. These
The first insights into human cancer causation occurred in the
successive themes have also influenced our understanding of cancer
18th century with the astute clinical observations by John Hill of the
causation and provided new strategies for cancer prevention and
treatment. Cancer researchers can take pride in the fact that cancer
studies have often played an important role in advancing the
Requests for reprints: I. Bernard Weinstein, Columbia University Medical Center, broader fields of cell biology and biomedical research.
701W 168 Street, HHSC 1509, New York, NY 10032. Phone: 212-305-6924; Fax: 212- At AACR’s first scientific meeting in 1907, in a small room in New
305-6889. E-mail: bc39@columbia.edu.
I2008 American Association for Cancer Research. York City, nine papers were presented. Two dealt with using
doi:10.1158/0008-5472.CAN-08-2827 transfusions to treat cancer; five covered transplantation of tumors

www.aacrjournals.org 6861 Cancer Res 2008; 68: (17). September 1, 2008

Cancer Research

in experimental animals; and two were meant to dispel the myth influenced the developments, their implications, and future
that some cancers were really infectious diseases (4). At the AACR’s directions in the field.
Centennial Celebration Annual Meeting in 2007 in a large This issue of Cancer Research contains the first article in this
convention center in Los Angeles, there were over 17,000 series: ‘‘Advances in Chemical Carcinogenesis,’’ by Loeb and Harris.
registrants, and over 6,500 abstracts and papers were presented, It highlights the evidence that chemical agents play a major role in
with topics ranging from antiangiogenesis to biomarkers, to human cancer causation and the remarkable insights into the
epigenomics, to molecular targets, and to prevention and underlying mechanisms that have been obtained. The exciting
survivorship, terms not heard in cancer research in 1907. advances in this field also have profound implications in terms of
The AACR is proud of the fact that our members have been both cancer prevention and treatment.
responsible for so many scientific advances. Our meetings, Subsequent articles related to cancer causation will cover cancer
conferences, task forces, and journals have provided, and continue epidemiology, tumor virology, and cancer genetics. Other articles
to provide, the major forums for reporting, discussing, and will cover pathogenesis, treatment, and prevention. We thank the
disseminating cancer research, and AACR is playing an increasingly authors of these articles for their efforts and insights. We trust that
important role in research funding. readers of Cancer Research will find the articles not only of interest
As part of our dedication to preserving the record of cancer but also an inspiring record of scientific achievement.
research, and to celebrate our 100th Anniversary, the AACR has Given how far our understanding of cancer at the clinical, tissue,
commissioned a series of historical review articles to be published cellular, and molecular levels has come in the past 100 years, it is

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serially in our flagship journal, Cancer Research. This history series not overly optimistic to think that well before the next AACR
is intended to cover the major scientific advances of the past 100 Centennial, the world will be celebrating a major reduction in
years in the fields of cancer causation, pathogenesis, prevention, cancer incidence and mortality. Exciting progress toward that goal
and treatment. The articles are written by experts in the respective is being made every day in our research laboratories and clinics.
fields who are themselves responsible for some of the advances
they will describe. The goal is not to produce a history of the AACR;
this has been published elsewhere (1, 2, 5, 6). Rather, the group of Acknowledgments
articles will form a unique chronicle of progress, the factors that Received 6/17/2008; accepted 7/23/2008.

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Cancer Res 2008; 68: (17). September 1, 2008 6862 www.aacrjournals.org