The inhabitants of Egypt likely attempted to surgically remove malignant tumors more than 4.300 years ago. This is indicated by a new study.
People in ancient Egypt had extensive medical knowledge. It is known that they made prosthetics, treated teeth, and used medications. However, until now, there was no evidence that they possessed knowledge about cancer treatment. A new study conducted on two skulls provides surprising results about possible traces of cancer surgery.
Probably the earliest evidence of cancer surgery
One of the skulls from the Duckworth collection at the University of Cambridge in England belongs to a man in his early thirties, who likely had an advanced tumor in the nasopharyngeal area. The skull, over 4.300 years old, represents one of the oldest known cases of cancer. There is a large hole in the palate bone and about thirty other bone damages on the skull likely caused by metastatic cancer.
When Tatiana Tondini, a scientist from Tubingen and the main author of the study, examined the pathological changes in the bones in more detail, she discovered, to her surprise, traces of cuts.
“I did not expect this. I called my mentor, and we wondered if these were indeed cut marks and where they might have come from. We gathered half the department in the laboratory; it was very exciting,” said Tatiana Tondini from the Archaeological Institute of the University of Tubingen.
The discovered cut marks in the affected areas, according to this scientist, could have been caused by a sharp tool, such as a scalpel. This would be the earliest evidence of surgical cancer treatment in human history – even though it was not lifesaving, as the man died – either shortly before or after the operation.
“We cannot say whether the person died due to the surgical procedure or was already dead and whether the ancient Egyptians were trying to better understand what was afflicting him,” explains Tondini. “If the man had survived, we would have to see a reaction in the bone, which we do not observe.”
New methods enabled the surprising discovery
This skull was studied back in 1963 by scientist Calvin Wells, who recognized the cancer but did not notice traces of surgery. The reason is that analysis methods have significantly developed over the past decades. With digital microscopy and micro-computed tomography, i.e., especially high-resolution imaging technology, the research team was now able to detect cut marks on the bone, which are not visible to the naked eye.
Evidence of treating life-threatening head injuries
The second skull studied belongs to a woman over fifty years old, who also suffered from cancer. The authors of the study examined her to learn more about the types of cancer that existed in the ancient world and how Egyptian medicine over 4.000 years ago tried to explore this disease.
In addition to traces of cancer, two additional healed injuries indicate violent conflicts. One injury, according to the scientist, was caused by a sharp object, such as a sword. This allowed conclusions about the medical knowledge of that time: “We see from the bone formations around the injury that the woman managed to survive the injury,” said Tondini. This means that the Egyptians at that time were capable of successfully treating life-threatening skull fractures.
Cancer Is Not a Modern Disease
Based on the study, Tondini also commented on the notion that cancer is a modern disease: The disease was common even among ancient Egyptians because they drank alcohol, their houses were poorly ventilated, and people were likely exposed to smoke. “There were environmental influences and behaviors that potentially caused cancer even back then,” believes Tondini, N1 writes.
E.Dz.
