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Second-Oldest Case of Prostate Cancer Found in Mummy

The man lived an estimated 2,250 years ago, in Ancient Egypt

Oct 28, 2011 10:03 GMT  ·  By
A high-resolution CT scan of the lumbar spine region of a 2150-year-old Egyptian mummy has just revealed small, round lesions—the oldest case of metastatic prostate cancer in ancient Egyptians
   A high-resolution CT scan of the lumbar spine region of a 2150-year-old Egyptian mummy has just revealed small, round lesions—the oldest case of metastatic prostate cancer in ancient Egyptians

The oldest known case of prostate cancer was discovered in the skeleton of a Scythian king who lived in Russia some 2,700 years ago. In a recent investigation, researchers discovered the second-oldest known case of the cancer, in a 2,250-year-old mummy from Egypt.

According to a paper published in the latest issue of the International Journal of Paleopathology, the man died between the ages of 51 and 60, most likely after suffering excruciating pain on account of the cancer. We can now observe his ancient condition because his family decided to pay for his mummification.

“I would agree that it's a case of metastatic prostate cancer. This is a very well-done study,” Academic Hospital Munich-Bogenhausen pathologist Andreas Nerlich comments. The expert was not a part of the new study, ScienceNow reports.

Other mummies could display similar signs of ancient tumors, experts say. However, these cell blocks can only become visible under high-resolution computerized tomography (CT) scanners, which were first made readily available just 6 years ago.