Soft tissue tumors in palaeopathology: a review.
OBJECTIVE
To perform a review of soft tissue tumors in palaeopathology.


METHODS
Examination of palaeopathological literature.


RESULTS
Up to now, observations of neoplastic soft tissue lesions in mummified remains are limited to 15 cases, and only 4 of them present malignancies; 14 cases of calcified benign tumors, including 13 neoplasms of the female reproductive system and 1 teratoma, are also documented.


CONCLUSIONS
The main reasons for the rarity of soft tissue tumors in palaeopathology, especially of malignancies, are apparently the short life span of past populations, the scarcity of mummified remains available in comparison with skeletal remains, and technical difficulties in the detection of neoplastic lesions in mummified tissues.
Division of Paleopathology, History of Medicine and Bioethics, Department of Oncology, Transplants and Advanced Technologies in Medicine, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy. gino.fornaciari@med.unipi.it
Gino
G
Fornaciari
Valentina
V
Giuffra
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D006651:Histocytochemistry; D049690:History, Ancient; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009106:Mummies / Q000266:history / Q000473:pathology*; D010164:Paleopathology / Q000379:methods; D012983:Soft Tissue Neoplasms / Q000266:history / Q000473:pathology*; D013194:Staining and Labeling