Neuro-Ophthalmic Side Effects of New Cancer Drugs (abstract)

War is a recurrent and unfortunate record in the history of human civilization that has culminated in indescribable violence and unspeakable death. However, amazingly within the confines of war have risen some of the greatest advancements in medicine (such as the intraocular lens by Sir Harold Ridley). It is within this context-in particular World War II with the study of mustard gas-that the annals of cancer chemotherapy began touching the lives of millions of people. It is estimated that in 2016, over 1.5 million people in the United States (US) will be diagnosed with cancer and of those nearly half a million will die. The amount of money being spent on research and development of new cancer therapies is staggering with a record $43 billion dollars spent in 2014. Nearly 30% of all registered clinical trials on the clinicaltrials.gov website pertain to cancer drugs. Such large numbers emphasize the urgency of finding a cure for cancer.