Paleo-oncology: Taking stock and moving forward

Kirkpatrick, Casey L.; Campbell, Roselyn A.; Hunt, Kathryn J.

doi:10.1016/j.ijpp.2018.02.001

Cited by 13 publications

(15 citation statements)

References 84 publications

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“…Other diseases during life can cause changes in bone that may mimic the lesions made by metastases, and the decomposition process (taphonomic change) can lead to destructive processes affecting bone after death. To give just 2 examples, bacterial infectious diseases may cause cavity formation within bone, whereas burrowing insects or tree roots could mimic destructive change from malignancy 29,30 . For these reasons, we only included cases where all the evidence (visual appearance and imaging) indicated malignancy as the most likely diagnosis.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…To give just 2 examples, bacterial infectious diseases may cause cavity formation within bone, whereas burrowing insects or tree roots could mimic destructive change from malignancy. 29,30 For these reasons, we only included cases where all the evidence (visual appearance and imaging) indicated malignancy as the most likely diagnosis. Having the diagnosis made with duplicate osteologists expert in diagnosing pathology in human skeletal remains (P.D.M.…”

Section: Limitations Of the Studymentioning

confidence: 99%

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The prevalence of cancer in Britain before industrialization

Mitchell

Dittmar

Mulder

et al. 2021

Cancer

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BACKGROUND:To plan for cancer services in the future, the long view of cancer prevalence is essential. It might be suspected that cancer prevalence before tobacco and industrial revolution pollutants was quite different to today. METHODS: To quantify the degree to which cancer prevalence may be changing over time, the authors analyzed 143 skeletons from 6 cemeteries from the Cambridge area (6th-16th centuries). Visual inspection coupled with screening using both plain radiographs and computed tomography scans was used to detect malignant lesions. RESULTS: A total of 3.5% of individuals showed evidence for metastases. Factoring in modern data for the proportion of those with cancer that die with bone metastases, this suggests a minimum prevalence of all cancers at the time of death in medieval Britain to be approximately 9% to 14% of adults. CONCLUSIONS: This figure compares with a 40% to 50% prevalence of cancer at the time of death for modern Britain. The difference may be explained by the effects of modern carcinogens, the spread of viruses that trigger malignancy, industrial pollutants, and longer life expectancy.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Limitations Of the Studymentioning

confidence: 99%

The prevalence of cancer in Britain before industrialization

Mitchell

Dittmar

Mulder

et al. 2021

Cancer

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“…In archaeological settings, the bioarchaeological data for neoplasms are mainly of bone neoplasms because soft tissues are difficult to preserve (Kirkpatrick et al, 2018). The majority of cases in these data are benign bone neoplasms (e.g., osteoid osteoma and osteochondroma) (Siek, 2020).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

First case of juvenile primary bone malignant neoplasm in ancient China: A skeleton from the Northern Wei Dynasty (386–534 CE)

You

Hou

et al. 2021

Intl J of Osteoarchaeology

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Discoveries of juvenile primary bone malignant neoplasm have been rare in archaeological settings. This study presents the first case as such from ancient China. An individual (M799) aged 14–17 years from the Dongxin cemetery of the Northern Wei Dynasty (386–534 CE), Datong, Shanxi Province, was found with signs of the bone malignant neoplasm. The skeleton of the juvenile was macroscopically examined with the aid of computed tomography imaging. Results demonstrated that a bony outgrowth was found on the distal one third of the diaphysis of the left femur; both osteoblastic and osteolytic processes were present on the lesion (about 148 mm long), and the highly dense and lobulated exophytic mass protruded about 50 mm from the posterior aspect of the diaphysis. A periosteal new bone reaction was found on the adjacent cortex while the medullary cavity was invaded by the lesion. Osteosarcoma was considered the most likely diagnosis, with differential diagnoses of Ewing sarcoma and chondrosarcoma. Otherwise, the disease had no asymmetric effect on femoral length. This rare case enriches our knowledge on the paleoepidemiological patterns of osteosarcoma and other malignant neoplasms from the past.

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“…The occurrence of diseases that leave behind evidence on bones and teeth can be traced far back into the history of both humans and mammals (Aufderheide & Rodriguez‐Martin, ; Brothwell & Sandison, ; Capasso, ; Kirkpatrick, Campbell, & Hunt, ; Ortner, ; Pales & Rivet, 1930; Steinbock, ). The earliest diagnosed findings of neoplasms date back 1.9‐1.7 million years to hominins from Malapa and Swartkrans, South Africa.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Moreover, not all neoplastic diseases leave traces on or in the bone (Marques, Matos, Costa, Zink, & Cunha, ). Palaeopathological assessments of ossifications in archaeological skeletal remains that go beyond a mere tentative diagnosis, however, are not easily achieved and require both specialist knowledge and the use of imaging and histological procedures (Kirkpatrick et al, ; Ragsdale, Campbell, & Kirkpatrick, ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

An osseous lesion in the maxillary sinus—Tumour or tumour‐like?

Nicklisch

Maier

Schulz

et al. 2018

Intl J of Osteoarchaeology

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In the bioarchaeological analysis of burials from a medieval graveyard at Hettstedt, Central Germany, a male skeleton of about 40 to 50 years at death with an unusual bony structure in the left maxillary sinus was discovered. Macroscopic examination exhibited a balloon‐shaped osseous lesion with solid cortical surface 2.5 × 1.5 cm in size. Micro‐CT scans revealed trabecular structures around a central cavity. The margins of the osseous lesion were well defined without infiltration of normal maxillary bone tissue. The histopathological analysis showed the presence of lamellar and woven bone. The structure and localisation of the tumour‐like lesion suggest that the formation was the result of chronic inflammation and that chronic dental sinusitis seems to have triggered a large reactive ossification.

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Paleo-oncology: Taking stock and moving forward

Cited by 13 publications

References 84 publications

The prevalence of cancer in Britain before industrialization

The prevalence of cancer in Britain before industrialization

First case of juvenile primary bone malignant neoplasm in ancient China: A skeleton from the Northern Wei Dynasty (386–534 CE)

An osseous lesion in the maxillary sinus—Tumour or tumour‐like?

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