What was the Prevalence of Malignant Disease in the Past?

Abstract

A method is described which can be used to calculate the number of tumours that might be expected to occur in a group of skeletons. The method of calculation is based on published data that relate to the frequency with which various primary tumours metastasize to bone and on the number of deaths from malignant disease at the turn of the century. The method has been applied to one archaeological site and the results indicate that the number of tumours found—although very small—is within the limits suggested by the model.

Ancient Egyptian paleopathology – The population of the tomb of IPI, necropolis of Dahshur-South

“…Although repeatedly discussed, tumours, in particular malignant ones, have been seen in the majority of ancient populations (Nerlich, 2018), but the relatively high frequency should be noted (and is at variance to the interpretations by David and Zimmerman, 2010). While there do not exist comparable data on benign tumours, the malignant tumour rates have extensively been documented and discussed (Strouhal, 1976;Waldron, 1996;Nerlich et al, 2006;Nerlich, 2018). The identification of two cases of malignant tumours, one a genuine osseous tumour (the pelvic chondrosarcoma and the other metastatic infiltration of the spine, add to the previous lists of malignant tumours found in ancient Egypt and strongly support the notion that malignant tumours were not rare at that time especially as the age at death was much younger than today (Waldron, 1996;Nerlich, 2018).…”

Malignant tumors in two ancient populations: An approach to historical tumor epidemiology

“…Due to the assumption that malignant growth was a rare event in those times, this has led to the notion that carcinogenic influences would have been small in those ancient populations. In a recent publication, however, we could demonstrate that the estimated malignant tumor rate was comparable to that of a Middle European population of AD [1900][1901][1902][1903][1904][1905] provided that a careful palaeopathological examination uncovered all cases available (5)(6)(7).…”

Metastatic Prostate Carcinoma in an Early 18th Century South German Abbot—Interdisciplinary Research Reveals Clues to His Final Disease History

“…Combining historical information and biomedical data supplements the biography of this individual. The diagnosis of a metastatic prostate carcinoma adds to paleo-oncological knowledge [1][2][3][4]. Therefore Balduin Helm's life can be summarised as that he was born in a middle-class family of the mid-17 th century.…”