Study Uncovers Ancient Egyptian Attempts to Surgically Remove Brain Cancer
New research suggests that cancer may have been plaguing individuals even thousands of years ago. Researchers at the University of Cambridge’s Duckworth Laboratory Collection studied skulls obtained from Ancient Egypt, observing lesions which they believe may have been left by malignant tumors.
The researchers found that one skull, which belonged to a female about 50 years of age, had healed injuries on the cranium that may have been made by a sharp object. This evidence suggests that the woman survived because of a treatment and some post-traumatic care administered.
Another skull, belonging to a man in his 30s, also had cut marks on the bone surface, which indicates that a tumor may have been resected.
The researchers note that while their observations indicate medical-surgical exploration, they couldn’t pinpoint the exact timing of the cutting, whether the cuts were made before or after death. In their report, the researchers explained that these procedures may have been practiced during the Middle and Upper Neolithic and Paleolithic periods.
They added that in this context, it became clear that caring for others including caring for one’s wounds, and was a crucial behavior among humans.
Tatiana Tondini, first author of the study, is a researcher at Germany’s University of Tübingen. Tondini explained in a recent interview that the discovery of a pair of secondary cancer lesions on the skull belonging to the male was a remarkable finding.
Tondini noted that there were two explanations for these lesions, the first possible explanation being that ancient Egyptians made those cuts while examining the man after he died. The second possible explanation was that the ancient Egyptians tried to surgically remove secondary tumors. This would make it the first-ever recorded cancer surgical operation in history; however, this cannot be confirmed.
The researcher also posited that it was possible the ancient Egyptians were studying cancer.
Dr. Paul Saphier, a neurosurgeon, commented on the study’s findings. He stated that their findings were interesting, citing similar evidence on neurosurgical procedures that dated back to around 6000 B.C. He added that it was clear that humans’ ability to execute intricate neurosurgical procedures was only limited by surgical visualization and technology.
The researchers were met with some limitations during their study, including the fact that the skulls were very fragile and old, which made it hard to evaluate the damage with the naked eye. Tondini noted in her conclusion that she hoped their findings would inspire more studies on cancer cases in antiquities using nondestructive methods.
The research’s findings were reported in the “Frontiers in Medicine” journal.
Even with the current advances in brain-cancer surgery, therapeutics from companies such as CNS Pharmaceuticals Inc. (NASDAQ: CNSP) are still instrumental in cancer treatment since surgery alone cannot remove all the malignant cells in the brain or body.
NOTE TO INVESTORS: The latest news and updates relating to CNS Pharmaceuticals Inc. (NASDAQ: CNSP) are available in the company’s newsroom at https://ibn.fm/CNSP
Please see full terms of use and disclaimers on the BioMedWire website applicable to all content provided by BMW, wherever published or re-published: http://BMW.fm/Disclaimer
New research suggests that cancer may have been plaguing individuals even thousands of years ago. Researchers at the University of Cambridge’s Duckworth Laboratory Collection studied skulls obtained from Ancient Egypt, observing lesions which they believe may have been left by malignant tumors.
The researchers found that one skull, which belonged to a female about 50 years of age, had healed injuries on the cranium that may have been made by a sharp object. This evidence suggests that the woman survived because of a treatment and some post-traumatic care administered.
Another skull, belonging to a man in his 30s, also had cut marks on the bone surface, which indicates that a tumor may have been resected.
The researchers note that while their observations indicate medical-surgical exploration, they couldn’t pinpoint the exact timing of the cutting, whether the cuts were made before or after death. In their report, the researchers explained that these procedures may have been practiced during the Middle and Upper Neolithic and Paleolithic periods.
They added that in this context, it became clear that caring for others including caring for one’s wounds, and was a crucial behavior among humans.
Tatiana Tondini, first author of the study, is a researcher at Germany’s University of Tübingen. Tondini explained in a recent interview that the discovery of a pair of secondary cancer lesions on the skull belonging to the male was a remarkable finding.
Tondini noted that there were two explanations for these lesions, the first possible explanation being that ancient Egyptians made those cuts while examining the man after he died. The second possible explanation was that the ancient Egyptians tried to surgically remove secondary tumors. This would make it the first-ever recorded cancer surgical operation in history; however, this cannot be confirmed.
The researcher also posited that it was possible the ancient Egyptians were studying cancer.
Dr. Paul Saphier, a neurosurgeon, commented on the study’s findings. He stated that their findings were interesting, citing similar evidence on neurosurgical procedures that dated back to around 6000 B.C. He added that it was clear that humans’ ability to execute intricate neurosurgical procedures was only limited by surgical visualization and technology.
The researchers were met with some limitations during their study, including the fact that the skulls were very fragile and old, which made it hard to evaluate the damage with the naked eye. Tondini noted in her conclusion that she hoped their findings would inspire more studies on cancer cases in antiquities using nondestructive methods.
The research’s findings were reported in the “Frontiers in Medicine” journal.
Even with the current advances in brain-cancer surgery, therapeutics from companies such as CNS Pharmaceuticals Inc. (NASDAQ: CNSP) are still instrumental in cancer treatment since surgery alone cannot remove all the malignant cells in the brain or body.
NOTE TO INVESTORS: The latest news and updates relating to CNS Pharmaceuticals Inc. (NASDAQ: CNSP) are available in the company’s newsroom at https://ibn.fm/CNSP
Please see full terms of use and disclaimers on the BioMedWire website applicable to all content provided by BMW, wherever published or re-published: http://BMW.fm/Disclaimer
