Bhawalkar Jitendra, Nagar Akash, Rathod Hetal, Verma Prerna
Community Medicine, Dr. D. Y. Patil Medical College Hospital and Research Centre, Dr. D. Y. Patil Vidyapeeth (Deemed to be University), Pune, IND.
Cureus. 2024 Jul 23;16(7):e65230. doi: 10.7759/cureus.65230. eCollection 2024 Jul.
Cancer, a pervasive and multifaceted disease, has afflicted humanity since ancient times, as evidenced by early references in the Edwin Smith Papyrus and the Ebers Papyrus. Over centuries, our understanding and treatment of cancer have evolved significantly, transitioning from rudimentary remedies to advanced modalities like chemotherapy, radiation therapy, and precision medicine. Despite these advancements, cancer remains a major global health challenge. As of 2022, nearly 20 million new cancer cases and 10 million cancer-related deaths were reported worldwide. In India, the situation is particularly dire, with over 1.41 million new cases and more than 916,827 deaths in 2022, exacerbated by socioeconomic disparities, cultural stigmas, and healthcare barriers. This review traces the historical evolution of cancer treatment from ancient civilizations to modern times, highlighting key medical milestones and breakthroughs. It examines the global and Indian cancer burden, emphasizing the critical barriers to early diagnosis and effective treatment. These barriers include health system deficiencies, socioeconomic challenges, delayed diagnosis, low health literacy, and inadequate screening programs. The review was conducted through a comprehensive literature search using databases such as PubMed, Google Scholar, Journal Storage (JSTOR), and various other sources focusing on historical texts, epidemiological studies, and current medical research. The search aimed to gather a broad spectrum of perspectives and evidence to provide a well-rounded understanding of cancer's historical journey and current landscape.
癌症是一种普遍且多方面的疾病，自古以来就一直困扰着人类，埃德温·史密斯纸草书和埃伯斯纸草书中的早期记载便是明证。几个世纪以来，我们对癌症的理解和治疗方法有了显著发展，从基本的疗法过渡到了化疗、放射治疗和精准医学等先进模式。尽管取得了这些进展，但癌症仍然是一项重大的全球健康挑战。截至2022年，全球报告了近2000万例新癌症病例和1000万例与癌症相关的死亡病例。在印度，情况尤为严峻，2022年有超过141万例新病例和超过916827例死亡病例，社会经济差距、文化耻辱感和医疗保健障碍使情况更加恶化。这篇综述追溯了癌症治疗从古代文明到现代的历史演变，突出了关键的医学里程碑和突破。它审视了全球和印度的癌症负担，强调了早期诊断和有效治疗的关键障碍。这些障碍包括卫生系统缺陷、社会经济挑战、诊断延迟、健康素养低下和筛查项目不足。该综述通过使用PubMed、谷歌学术、期刊存储库（JSTOR）等数据库以及专注于历史文本、流行病学研究和当前医学研究的各种其他来源进行了全面的文献检索。此次检索旨在收集广泛多样的观点和证据，以便全面了解癌症的历史进程和当前形势。
