Anaplastic thyroid cancer historical perspective

Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1]; Associate Editor(s)-in-Chief: Ammu Susheela, M.D. [2]

Overview

In 1811, the first thyroid cancer case was reported. Thyroid cancer was first described by William Stewart Halsted, an American surgeon in the late nineteenth century.

Historical Perspective

Discovery

The first case of thyroid cancer was described by William Stewart Halsted.^[1]
In 1951, head and neck irradiation was demonstrated to cause thyroid cancer in children.

Landmark Events in the Development of Treatment Strategies

In 1884, thyroidectomies were introduced to successfully treat thyroid disorders.
Theodore Kocher (1841-1917) was considered an expert in thyroidectomy in Switzerland.
Charles Horace Mayo was considered as an expert in thyroidectomies in United States.
Murray discovered that patients with hypothyroidism respond well to injecting thyroid extracts to them.

Famous Cases

William Rehnquist, Chief Justice of the United States (1986-2005) passed away on September 3, 2005 from anaplastic thyroid cancer.

Reference

↑ Hegner CF (1932). “A History of Thyroid Surgery”. Ann. Surg. 95 (4): 481–92. PMC 1391584. PMID 17866746.

[pmid17866746-1] Hegner CF (1932). “A History of Thyroid Surgery”. Ann. Surg. 95 (4): 481–92. PMC 1391584. PMID 17866746.

[1]