Systematic assessment of bone and soft tissue tumors on whole-body CTs of 45 mummies from ancient Egypt
Abstract There is a growing interest in the antiquity of cancer and ongoing discussion of the apparent scarcity of malignant tumors in ancient human remains, especially those of soft tissues. We systematically assessed bone and soft tissue tumors on 45 whole-body computed tomography (CT) scans of an...
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Nature Portfolio
2025-07-01
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| Series: | Scientific Reports |
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| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-07029-y |
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| author | Stephanie Panzer Klaus Wörtler Alice Paladin Stephanie Zesch Wilfried Rosendahl Katherine D. van Schaik M. Linda Sutherland James D. Sutherland Klaus Hergan Randall C. Thompson Albert R. Zink |
| author_facet | Stephanie Panzer Klaus Wörtler Alice Paladin Stephanie Zesch Wilfried Rosendahl Katherine D. van Schaik M. Linda Sutherland James D. Sutherland Klaus Hergan Randall C. Thompson Albert R. Zink |
| author_sort | Stephanie Panzer |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract There is a growing interest in the antiquity of cancer and ongoing discussion of the apparent scarcity of malignant tumors in ancient human remains, especially those of soft tissues. We systematically assessed bone and soft tissue tumors on 45 whole-body computed tomography (CT) scans of ancient Egyptian mummies. In one of 45 cases (2%), malignant skeletal disease (probably skeletal metastases) was detected. In five of 45 cases (11%), probably malignant soft tissue masses were identified. The soft tissue masses showed distinct margins, various internal structures, and higher densities compared to preserved adjacent soft tissues. In the two cases with intra-abdominal soft tissue masses, no preserved original organs were detectable. In conclusion, malignant tumors, even those of soft tissues are detectable on CT images of ancient Egyptian mummies. The recognizability, CT characteristics, and frequency of soft tissue tumors represent new knowledge and offer a novel approach for the field of paleo-oncology. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-6acad657ea2541d78f2df1b1deb083f5 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2045-2322 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-07-01 |
| publisher | Nature Portfolio |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Scientific Reports |
| spelling | doaj-art-6acad657ea2541d78f2df1b1deb083f52025-08-20T03:45:28ZengNature PortfolioScientific Reports2045-23222025-07-0115111410.1038/s41598-025-07029-ySystematic assessment of bone and soft tissue tumors on whole-body CTs of 45 mummies from ancient EgyptStephanie Panzer0Klaus Wörtler1Alice Paladin2Stephanie Zesch3Wilfried Rosendahl4Katherine D. van Schaik5M. Linda Sutherland6James D. Sutherland7Klaus Hergan8Randall C. Thompson9Albert R. Zink10Department of Radiology, University Hospital Salzburg, Paracelsus Medical UniversityDepartment of Radiology, Klinikum Rechts der Isar, Technische Universität MünchenInstitute for Mummy Studies, Eurac ResearchGerman Mummy Project, Reiss-Engelhorn-MuseenGerman Mummy Project, Reiss-Engelhorn-MuseenProgram in Health Over Time, Department of Radiology/Department of Classical Studies, Medical Center North, Vanderbilt UniversityMemorialCare Health SystemMemorialCare Health SystemDepartment of Radiology, University Hospital Salzburg, Paracelsus Medical UniversitySaint Luke’s Mid America Heart Institute, University of Missouri-Kansas CityInstitute for Mummy Studies, Eurac ResearchAbstract There is a growing interest in the antiquity of cancer and ongoing discussion of the apparent scarcity of malignant tumors in ancient human remains, especially those of soft tissues. We systematically assessed bone and soft tissue tumors on 45 whole-body computed tomography (CT) scans of ancient Egyptian mummies. In one of 45 cases (2%), malignant skeletal disease (probably skeletal metastases) was detected. In five of 45 cases (11%), probably malignant soft tissue masses were identified. The soft tissue masses showed distinct margins, various internal structures, and higher densities compared to preserved adjacent soft tissues. In the two cases with intra-abdominal soft tissue masses, no preserved original organs were detectable. In conclusion, malignant tumors, even those of soft tissues are detectable on CT images of ancient Egyptian mummies. The recognizability, CT characteristics, and frequency of soft tissue tumors represent new knowledge and offer a novel approach for the field of paleo-oncology.https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-07029-yPaleopathologyPaleoradiologyCancerNeoplasmCarcinomaMetastatic |
| spellingShingle | Stephanie Panzer Klaus Wörtler Alice Paladin Stephanie Zesch Wilfried Rosendahl Katherine D. van Schaik M. Linda Sutherland James D. Sutherland Klaus Hergan Randall C. Thompson Albert R. Zink Systematic assessment of bone and soft tissue tumors on whole-body CTs of 45 mummies from ancient Egypt Scientific Reports Paleopathology Paleoradiology Cancer Neoplasm Carcinoma Metastatic |
| title | Systematic assessment of bone and soft tissue tumors on whole-body CTs of 45 mummies from ancient Egypt |
| title_full | Systematic assessment of bone and soft tissue tumors on whole-body CTs of 45 mummies from ancient Egypt |
| title_fullStr | Systematic assessment of bone and soft tissue tumors on whole-body CTs of 45 mummies from ancient Egypt |
| title_full_unstemmed | Systematic assessment of bone and soft tissue tumors on whole-body CTs of 45 mummies from ancient Egypt |
| title_short | Systematic assessment of bone and soft tissue tumors on whole-body CTs of 45 mummies from ancient Egypt |
| title_sort | systematic assessment of bone and soft tissue tumors on whole body cts of 45 mummies from ancient egypt |
| topic | Paleopathology Paleoradiology Cancer Neoplasm Carcinoma Metastatic |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-07029-y |
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