title: Timeline: Chemotherapy and the war on cancer.
abstract: The era of chemotherapy began in the 1940s with the first uses of nitrogen mustards and antifolate drugs. Cancer drug development since then has transformed from a low-budget, government-supported research effort to a high-stakes, multi-billion dollar industry. The targeted-therapy revolution has arrived, but the principles and limitations of chemotherapy discovered by the early researchers still apply. This article chronicles the history of modern chemotherapy and identifies remaining challenges for the next generation of researchers.
authors.affiliation: Division of Hematology/Oncology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts 02114, USA. bchabner@partners.org
authors.forename: Bruce A
authors.initials: BA
authors.lastname: Chabner
authors.forename: Thomas G
authors.initials: TG
authors.lastname: Roberts
mesh_terms: D000970:Antineoplastic Agents / Q000266:history*; D049673:History, 20th Century; D049674:History, 21st Century; D006801:Humans; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000266:history*; D014481:United States
chemical_list: D000970:Antineoplastic Agents