3000-Year-Old Skeleton May Aid Cancer Research

Researchers have discovered evidence of cancer in a 3000 year old skeleton, getting clear imaging of lesions on the bone that tell how cancer spread across the ancient cancer victim's body. This new discovery, coupled with previously discovered evidence of ancient cancer might help researchers understand how the disease became as prevalent in humans as it currently is.

The skeleton, discovered by archaeologists in a tomb in modern Sudan, is reportedly the world's oldest complete example of a human being with a developed and aggressive cancer. According to researchers from Durham University and the British Museum, the skeleton shows evidence of the spread of tumors across the ancient cancer victim's upper body.

A study published in PLOS ONE, a publication of the Public Library of Science, details just how the researchers discovered this remarkable example of ancient cancer.

Using radiography and a scanning electron microscope, the researcher managed to acquire clear images of lesions on the bones that helped explain how the cancer had spread and developed more tumors along the ribs, arms, shoulder blades, and color bones. There is even faint evidence of tumor formation along the levis and thighs, indicating that this 3,000 year old man, who has been estimated to have been only 25 years old, died of an extremely aggressive cancer.

According to Michaela Dinber, who lead the excavation and examination of the skeleton, the analysis of the skeleton indicates that the man could have died only from a the advanced stages of a soft-tissue cancer, although where the cancer began remains unclear.

A similar discovery was made earlier this year when archaeologists discovered a 2000-year-old bone that showed evidence of osteosarcoma -- bone cancer -- that is common in adolescents and children. According to a PLOS study published in January, the bone's research team was able to indentify evidence of protein biomarkers in the bones that can be useful in helping researchers determine the presence of cancer in other paleoanthropological remains.

According Dinber, it is the hope of his team and other researcher that ancient evidence of cancers can help them one day understand how the disease developed and how prevalent it was thousands of years ago as opposed to now. This, of course, could help experts determine if modern environmental changes are indeed elevating the likelihood of cancer among humans.

The first study was published by PLOS ONE on March 17. The second study was published on January 27.

[Secondary source]