US EPA

7439687 

Journal Article 

Treatment Modalities 

Wani, MY; Malik, MA; , 

2021 

Springer Singapore 

Singapore 

Gold and its Complexes in Anticancer Chemotherapy 

17-34 

10.1007/978-981-33-6314-4_3 

http://link.springer.com/10.1007/978-981-33-6314-4_3
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The treatment of cancer has undergone evolutionary changes as understanding of the underlying biological processes has increased. Tumor removal surgeries have been documented in ancient Egypt, hormone therapy and radiation therapy were developed in the late nineteenth century. Chemotherapy, immunotherapy, and newer targeted therapies are products of the twentieth century (Fig. 3.1). Surgery and radiotherapy dominated the field of cancer therapy into the 1960s until it became clear that cure rates after ever more radical local treatments had plateaued at about 33% due to the presence of heretofore-unappreciated micrometastases and new data showed that combination chemotherapy could cure patients with various advanced cancers. The landscape of therapeutic options for treating cancer has dramatically changed over recent years resulting in more treatment options, higher response rates, improvement in survival, and changing toxicity profiles [1]. Although a variety of high-tech treatment modalities are currently available to treat different cancers, chemotherapy, which involves the use of small-molecule drugs (synthetic or natural), remains one of the most preferred methods for the treatment of cancer. Chemotherapy takes into account the metastatic nature of majority of the cancers. Besides, the anticancer drugs used during chemotherapy reach all the cells and tissues of the human body where other treatment procedures cannot be used. Additionally, the availability of a huge reservoir of anticancer drugs with diverse mechanisms of action and drug combination procedures makes chemotherapy a standout performer in cancer treatment procedures [2, 3].