The 19th century dramatically changed the field of surgery. In 1804, Japanese surgeon Seishu Hanaoka (Figure 2) performed the world's first procedure under general anesthesia—a mastectomy.

When did lumpectomy begin?

By the 1970s, researchers began to develop the lumpectomy, a less invasive surgical option that removes only the cancerous tumor and any surrounding tissue affected by the tumor.

When was the first case of breast cancer?

Breast cancer can also be traced right back to ancient Egypt, with the earliest recorded case described on the 1600 BC Edwin Smith Papyrus.