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This image shows the mummy of an Egyptian man aged about fifty years old. rectal cancer.
Credit: Image published with the kind permission of El Molto
six cases of cancer by studying the bodies of ancient Egyptians who were buried long ago in the oasis of Dakhleh. The discoveries include a toddler with leukemia, a mummified man aged about fifty years suffering from rectal cancer and people with cancer caused by the disease virus. human papilloma (HPV).
Extrapolating from these cases, the researchers estimated that the lifetime cancer risk in the former Dakhleh Oasis was about 5 in 1000, compared to 50 percent in modern Western societies , wrote El Molto and Dr. Peter Sheldrick in an article published in a special issue on cancer of the International Journal of Paleopathology. "Thus, the risk of cancer for life in Western societies today is 100 times higher than in the former Dakhleh," they wrote. [Photos: Ancient Egyptian Cemetery with 1 Million Mummies]
Molto, a retired professor of anthropology at the University of Western Ontario, Canada, warned that some people living in Dakhleh may have died of cancer without leaving a trace in their remains and that people in the ancient world tended to have shorter life span than people of today. However, even taking these factors into account, researchers believe that the risk of cancer was considerably lower in ancient Egypt.
In five of the six cases, scientists determined that they had cancer by studying lesions (holes and bone damage) on their skeletons. . These holes were left when the cancer spread throughout their body. For example, a woman in her forties or fifties was suffering from a hole in the right hip bone of about 2.4 cm (2.4 cm) that researchers believe to have come from. 39, a tumor. In one case (the man in his fifties has a cancer of the rectum), a real tumor has been preserved. Researchers can not be certain of the origin of cancers in many cases.
Young Adults
Three of the six cases (two women and one man) were people in their twenties or thirties, a rare age to get cancer, the researchers said.
An ancient Egyptian woman in her twenties was suffering from cancer that had spread to her skull. She may have had the HPV virus, believe the researchers.
Credit: Image courtesy of El Molto
"When Dakhleh's cases were first presented at professional meetings," wrote Molto and Sheldrick, a doctor in Chatham, Ontario, in their article , referring to the three young adults. [Image Gallery: Digging Up a Cemetery in Dakhleh Oasis]
However, recent research has revealed that HPV is a major cause of many forms of cancer, including those that often affect young adults. "HPV is a cause confirmed from cervical cancer and testicles, and evolved in Africa long before Homo sapiens came out, "wrote Molto and Sheldrick in their article.The male burials of Dakhleh, all young adults were able to develop, respectively, cervical cancer and testicular cancer, "the authors write." Current research in cancer epidemiology tells us that cancer Types of cancers peak in cohorts of young adults. "
Although scientists failed to genetically test the three young adults to see if they had HPV, d & # 39; Other studies confirm in the ancient world, Molto and Sheldrick wrote, noting that the virus probably existed in the ancient Oasis of Dakhleh.
No Ancient Treatment
Up to now, research on medical texts and Egyptian human remains has revealed no indication that ancient Egyptians had specific treatment for cancer.
This image shows an Egyptian child from the Oasis of Dakhleh aged 3 to 5 years at death. This child died of leukemia, says research. His bones were riddled with holes caused by the disease
Credit: Image courtesy of El Molto
"They knew something bad was going on," Molto told Live Science. However, "we have no indication as to the specific treatments for cancer because they did not understand [what cancer was]," said Molto, adding that ancient Egyptians may have tried to treat some of the symptoms such as cutaneous ulcers.
The researchers hoped that in the future, data will be collected on cancer and other diseases in the modern Dakhleh oasis. These data could then be compared to the old rate to provide more clues about how the cancer risk has changed over time.
Originally published on Live Science.
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