Cancer was first recorded in 3,000 BC by the Egyptians who described cases of tumors in the breast, that were removed by cauterization. Cancer received its name from Hippocrates (460-370 BC), who named it after a crab because the shape of the tumor spreading resembled crab claws.
16th-18th Century
Scientists began to truly study cancer at this time. The Renaissance was a time of great discovery as scientists learned more about the human body. Previously, autopsies were against religious beliefs, however as they became allowed, cancer could be studied in deceased humans.
19th Century and Beyond
The modern microscope allowed the advancement of scientific oncology (study of cancer), as tissues can be studied much closer. Today, research in cancer has boomed. More has been discovered in the past two decades than throughout all of history.
Hippocrates coined the term cancer, after the crab
Giovanni Morgagni first began using autopsies to make pathological discoveries
Rudolf Virchow is considered the founder of cellular pathology, using microscopes to study disease up close
Link to NIH'S list of milestones in 250 years of cancer research