Through the Mists of Time

Cancer Treatment Attempts 4,500 Years Ago

Cancer Treatment Attempts 4,500 Years Ago – A Revolutionary Discovery in Medical History

In May 2024, an international team of researchers led by Professor Edgard Camarós from the University of Santiago de Compostela in Spain discovered the first physical evidence that ancient Egyptians attempted surgical cancer treatment 4,500 years ago. This discovery pushes back the beginning of oncological surgery by a thousand years earlier than previously thought and represents a milestone in medical history.

The discovery emerged from detailed analysis of two ancient skulls from the Duckworth Laboratory collection at the University of Cambridge. The skull belonged to a man who was about 30 to 35 years old when he died, and it resides in the Duckworth Laboratory collection at the University of Cambridge in the United Kingdom. Since the mid-19th century, scientists have studied the skull’s scarred surface, including multiple lesions thought to represent bone damage from malignant tumors. Archaeologists regard the skull, labeled 236 in the collection, as one of the oldest examples of malignancy in the ancient world, dating back to between 2686 BC and 2345 BC.

The scientific rigor of the study is remarkable in its detail. But when researchers recently peered more closely at the tumor scars with a digital microscope and micro-computed tomography (CT) scans, they detected signs of cut marks around the tumors, suggesting that sharp metal instruments had been used to remove the growths. These findings were published in the prestigious journal Frontiers in Medicine.

The first skull, designated as specimen 236, belonged to a man aged 30-35 years and dates to the period between 2687 and 2345 BC—the time when the Great Pyramid of Giza was being constructed. The skull contained evidence of a large primary tumor as well as more than 30 smaller metastatic lesions. Detailed examination using modern analytical methods revealed something extraordinary.

“When we first observed the cut marks under the microscope, we could not believe what was in front of us,” recalls Tatiana Tondini, first author of the study and researcher at the University of Tübingen. Surprisingly, they also discovered various cut marks around these lesions. The researchers believe the cut marks were likely made by a sharp object, potentially a metal instrument.

The significance of this discovery cannot be overstated. “It was the very first time that humanity was dealing surgically with what we nowadays call cancer,” declared senior study author Dr. Edgard Camarós. “What we found is the first evidence of a surgical intervention directly related to cancer. This is where modern medicine starts.”

However, the mystery lies in whether the healers attempted to remove the tumors while the patient was still alive, or if the tumors were removed after death for analysis. “If those cut marks were done with that person alive, we’re talking about some kind of treatment directly related to the cancer,” explains Camarós. We don’t know if this was a potential surgical treatment or a medical exploratory autopsy but for sure an oncological surgery to better understand what we nowadays call cancer.

The second skull, labeled E270 and dating from 664 BC to 343 BC, belonged to a woman over 50 years old. The team identified three lesions on the specimen where malignant tumors had damaged the bone. This skull also held exceptional scientific value as it demonstrated the level of medical care that ancient Egyptians could provide.

Both traumatic lesions had healed, suggesting that medicine in ancient Egypt was advanced enough to treat her trauma—but not her cancer. This indicates that ancient Egyptian medicine was capable of successfully treating complex cranial fractures, but cancer remained a frontier of their medical knowledge.

The historical perspective of this discovery is striking. Until now, the oldest known description of cancer came from the Edwin Smith Papyrus dating to around 1600 BC from Egypt, which is thought to be a copy of work from centuries earlier. The text chronicled several breast tumors but emphasized that there was “no treatment” for them. The new findings push back attempts at cancer treatment by nearly a thousand years.

Dr. Ibrahem Badr, an associate professor in the department of restoration and conservation of antiquities at Misr University for Science and Technology in Giza, emphasizes the importance of this discovery: We can see that ancient Egyptian medicine was not solely based on herbal remedies like medicine in other ancient civilizations. It directly relied on surgical practices.

The scientific methodology of the research deserves special attention. New evidence that surgeries had been carried out became visible in October 2022 using advanced technologies such as microscopic analysis and computed tomography (CT) imaging, which is usually used in medical treatment to create detailed internal images of the body. The team used micro-CT scanning and microscopic bone surface analysis to achieve unprecedented detail.

Professor Albert Isidro, a surgical oncologist at University Hospital Sagrat Cor who specializes in Egyptology, explains the significance of the finding: “It seems ancient Egyptians performed some kind of surgical intervention related to the presence of cancerous cells, proving that ancient Egyptian medicine was also conducting experimental treatments or medical explorations in relation to cancer.”

The context of ancient Egyptian medicine makes this discovery even more impressive. Ancient Egypt possessed one of “the most advanced medical knowledge bases” in antiquity, with well-preserved human remains and papyri providing glimpses into medical practices of the time. Evidence of prostheses, dental fillings, and healed fractures had previously been found by scientists.

Researchers also believe that ancient Egyptian medicine was advanced enough to describe, classify, and successfully treat specific diseases and traumatic injuries, including bone trauma. “We see that although ancient Egyptians were able to deal with complex cranial fractures, cancer was still a medical knowledge frontier,” notes Tondini.

The thoroughness of the scientific analysis is impressive. “We characterized the cut marks and confirmed they were manmade and occurred before or immediately after the death of the individual,” explains Tondini. “Within a few minutes, the laboratory was filled with other researchers, technicians and professors, who were all around the microscope.”

There are two main interpretations of the discovered cut marks. The first possible explanation is that the ancient Egyptians attempted surgical removal of the secondary tumors, “which would make it the first recorded cancer surgical operation in history, but we cannot confirm that.” The second explanation is that the ancient Egyptians made these cut marks while examining the man after his death.

“This would also be remarkable, as it means that the ancient Egyptians were studying cancer,” adds the researcher. In either case, this represents a revolutionary moment in medical history.

The importance of this discovery in the context of medical history cannot be overstated. The research provides a new and solid direction for reevaluating the history of medicine and pathology among ancient Egyptians. The study authors’ methods “transition their results from the realm of uncertainty and archaeological possibilities to the realm of scientific and medical certainty”.

Twenty-first century technologies are revealing previously unknown details about ancient Egypt’s medical arts. But while this evidence from antiquity was well studied during the 19th and 20th centuries, 21st century technologies, such as those used in the new study, are revealing previously unknown details about ancient Egypt’s medical arts.

The significance of this research extends far beyond mere historical interest. Either surgical study or treatment of cancer represents “a milestone in the history of medicine” and a surprisingly sophisticated approach given the early time period. This discovery not only demonstrates the advancement of ancient Egyptian medicine but also shows that humanity’s quest to understand and treat cancer has existed for millennia.

Future research prospects appear promising. Going forward, the team wishes to look even further back in time to learn more about how humans have dealt with cancer over millennia. “If we know that more than 4,000 years ago, ancient Egyptians were trying to understand cancer at a surgical level, we are absolutely convinced that this is just the beginning of something that started many, many thousands of years ago.”

Some experts express certain reservations about the interpretation of the findings. Rachel Kalisher is a bioarchaeologist at New York University who was not involved in the research. She says the study is a solid exploration of medical care in the ancient world, but she’s not fully convinced by the explanation for the cut marks. Nevertheless, the scientific community generally recognizes the revolutionary importance of this discovery.

This discovery compels us to reconsider our perceptions of ancient civilizations and their medical achievements. The new findings may subsequently shift our conception of when modern medicine began. It demonstrates that humanity’s quest to defeat cancer—one of the most feared diseases—has existed since ancient times, and that the ancient Egyptians were pioneers not only in architecture and engineering but also in medicine.

Sources:

  1. CNN: “Ancient Egyptian medicine may have included cancer surgery, skull analysis reveals” (May 29, 2024). https://www.cnn.com/2024/05/29/world/ancient-egyptian-skull-cancer-treatment-scn/index.html
  2. Frontiers: “‘Extraordinary’ 4,000-year-old Egyptian skull may show signs of attempts to treat cancer” (May 29, 2024). https://www.frontiersin.org/news/2024/05/29/4000-year-old-egyptian-skull-cutmarks-cancer
  3. Al Jazeera: “Did ancient Egyptians use surgery to treat brain cancer?” (June 8, 2024). https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/6/8/did-ancient-egyptians-use-surgery-to-treat-brain-cancer
  4. Science (AAAS): “Ancient Egyptians surgically removed brain cancer 4000 year ago, cut marks suggest” (2024). https://www.science.org/content/article/ancient-egyptians-surgically-removed-brain-cancer-4000-year-ago-cut-marks-suggest
  5. Euronews: “Ancient Egyptians may have tried to treat cancer 4,000 years ago” (May 29, 2024). https://www.euronews.com/health/2024/05/29/ancient-egyptians-may-have-tried-to-treat-cancer-4000-years-ago
  6. Popular Science: “4,000 year-old Egyptian skulls show attempts at brain surgery to treat cancer” (May 29, 2024). https://www.popsci.com/health/ancient-egypt-skulls/
  7. Live Science: “Ancient Egyptians tried to treat cancer 4,000 years ago, cut-marked skull indicates” (May 29, 2024). https://www.livescience.com/archaeology/ancient-egyptians/ancient-egyptians-tried-to-treat-cancer-4000-years-ago-cut-marked-skull-indicates
  8. Smithsonian Magazine: “Groundbreaking Research Shows Ancient Egyptians Were Conducting Cancer Surgery Over 4,000 Years Ago” (May 29, 2024). https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/groundbreaking-research-shows-ancient-egyptians-were-conducting-cancer-surgery-over-4000-years-ago-180984431/
  9. NBC News: “Ancient Egyptian skull shows oldest attempt at cancer surgery” (May 29, 2024). https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/ancient-egypt-skull-oldest-cancer-surgery-cut-marks-lesions-rcna154448
  10. Fox News: “Ancient Egyptians attempted to surgically remove brain cancer from skull 4,000 years ago, study finds” (July 11, 2024). https://www.foxnews.com/health/ancient-egyptians-attempted-surgically-remove-brain-cancer-skull-4000-years-ago-study
  11. NPR: “Two ancient Egyptian skulls show how long cancer has been an issue for humans” (June 3, 2024). https://www.npr.org/2024/06/03/nx-s1-4987974/two-ancient-egyptian-skulls-show-how-long-cancer-has-been-an-issue-for-humans