Malignant tumors in an ancient Egyptian population

Since it is still an open debate whether malignant tumors are mainly influe nced by environmental factors, the frequency of such malignant tumors in hi storic populations with different living conditions is of particular intere st. In the present study, we investigated the occurrence of malignant tumor s affecting bone tissue in a population of mummies and skeletons, which had been excavated from the large necropolis of Thebes-West, Upper Egypt. Our study material comprised a series of at least 415 individuals (thereof 325 adults) dating from approx. 1500 - 500 B.C. All individuals had been mummif ied, but were severely damaged and partially broken by grave robbers, so th at often only parts of the mummies/skeletons were available for investigati on. The available specimens were subjected to careful macroscopic examinati on, while isolated findings were radiologically analyzed. Using this approa ch, we identified at least 4 cases showing malignant tumors affecting the s keleton. In two cases, multiple mixed osteolytic-osteoblastic lesions sugge sted multiple metastases from carcinomas. Two further individuals presented with multiple osteolyses (vertebra, pelvis, skull) most suggestive of mult iple myeloma. The observation of at least 4 cases of malignant tumors with osseous manifestation in a series of 325 adult individuals provides clear e vidence that malignant tumors were not a rare event in the ancient Egyptian study population, particularly when the limitations of a study of tumors m anifested only in osseous remnants are taken into consideration. A calculat ion of the age- and sex-adjusted tumor frequency in our material in compari son with a recent model for such a material by Waldron (1996) indicates tha t the rate of malignant tumors with bone affection in our series is higher than in an English population from 1901-1905, although lower than in a comp arable present day population. This clearly indicates that important factor s affecting malignant tumors were effective even in historic populations.