title: On the antiquity of cancer: evidence for metastatic carcinoma in a young man from ancient Nubia (c. 1200 BC).
abstract: Cancer, one of the world's leading causes of death today, remains almost absent relative to other pathological conditions, in the archaeological record, giving rise to the conclusion that the disease is mainly a product of modern living and increased longevity. This paper presents a male, young-adult individual from the archaeological site of Amara West in northern Sudan (c. 1200 BC) displaying multiple, mainly osteolytic, lesions on the vertebrae, ribs, sternum, clavicles, scapulae, pelvis, and humeral and femoral heads. Following radiographic, microscopic and scanning electron microscopic (SEM) imaging of the lesions, and a consideration of differential diagnoses, a diagnosis of metastatic carcinoma secondary to an unknown soft tissue cancer is suggested. This represents the earliest complete example in the world of a human who suffered metastatic cancer to date. The study further draws its strength from modern analytical techniques applied to differential diagnoses and the fact that it is firmly rooted within a well-documented archaeological and historical context, thus providing new insights into the history and antiquity of the disease as well as its underlying causes and progression.
authors.affiliation: Department of Archaeology, Durham University, Durham, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Michaela
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Binder
authors.affiliation: Department of Archaeology, Durham University, Durham, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Charlotte
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Roberts
authors.affiliation: Department of Ancient Egypt and Sudan, British Museum, London, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Neal
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Spencer
authors.affiliation: Department of Ancient Egypt and Sudan, British Museum, London, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Daniel
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Antoine
authors.affiliation: Department of Conservation and Scientific Research, British Museum, London, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Caroline
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Cartwright
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D002277:Carcinoma / Q000266:history / Q000473:pathology*; D005843:Geography; D049690:History, Ancient; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009362:Neoplasm Metastasis; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000266:history / Q000473:pathology*; D010164:Paleopathology; D013397:Sudan