Abstract
The history of cancer therapeutics since its birth some eighty years ago has gone through a tortuous path guided by understanding of the mechanism of carcinogenesis and notorious for many excitements and frustrations [1]. The birth of nitrogen mustard in 1940’s through a serendipitous observation during the Second World War, was guided by the perception that a poison that kills normal cells, could also kill cancer cells [2]. The excitement generated by shrinkage of tumor mass was soon followed by disappointment and frustration caused by tumor regrowth [3]. One could see more or less the same pattern as we moved to multi-agent chemotherapy protocols, targeted therapy, high intensity chemotherapy with or without hematopoietic stem cell transplantation and immunotherapy [4]. As our understanding evolved into growth, proliferation, and intracellular communication pathways, our definition of cancer also shifted from the generic uncontrolled proliferation to disorder of genome, apoptosis and immortality through telomere dysfunction [5]. Today, the evolution of thinking is taking us towards breakdown of fundamental laws that govern normal cellular homeostasis as the core mechanism of neoplastic transformation [6]. This evolution of understanding alongside major advances in other areas such as single cell sequencing and nano-technology, would enable us to open a new chapter in history of cancer therapeutics [7].