Scans of Medieval Skeletons Show Cancer Has Been Common Longer Than We Thought

Gizmodo ^ | 04/30/2021 | Ed Cara

[BenLurkin]

The first recorded accounts of cancer date back to Ancient Egypt more than 5,000 years ago. But it’s long been thought that cancer remained relatively rare in humans until modern times, in large part due to our longer lifespans. Other trends that began to emerge in the 18th century, like exposure to more environmental pollutants as industrialization expanded and the increased popularity of smoking, probably played a part, too.

But this new study, published Friday in the journal Cancer, suggests that cancer has been a regular feature of people’s lives for quite some time.

Researchers in the UK examined the skeletons of 143 people excavated from six medieval cemeteries located around the city of Cambridge; these people had died between the 6th and 16th centuries. They then analyzed the bones using medical imaging, looking closely for traces of advanced cancer that might not have appeared on the surface.

Most cancers start somewhere else in the body besides bone, but some of these soft-tissue tumors will then spread to a person’s bones, leaving behind lesions that can be spotted through medical imaging. Based on the amount of cancer the team found in these bones, they tried to extrapolate the baseline level of cancer among medieval people in the area.

“We think the total proportion of the medieval population that probably suffered with a cancer somewhere in their body was between 9-14%,” said study author Piers Mitchell, a researcher from Cambridge University’s Department of Archaeology, in a statement released by the university.

[PghBaldy]

Funny how people would mock people of decades past who acted like they could “catch” cancer. They were right, at least some of the time.

[pepsi_junkie]

I disagree. If you survived the first 5 years of your life, you were likely to have a fairly long life.

I think that's true, child and infant mortality was off the charts and skews the average mortality age numbers significantly but if you got through that very vulnerable window people did okay. Comparable to the 19th century from what I've seen.

[higgmeister]

What a shock? /s

[NorthWoody]

Who the eff are these ghouls to be digging up people’s bodies and testing them for anything?

Do we want this to happen to us 1000 years from now?

[jocon307]

“Most people didn’t live long enough to get it back then.”

Right. It’s hard to believe the “scientists” didn’t realize/acknowledge this.

People were easily carried off by all sorts of diseases and injuries that now we recover from. I’m sure many people were malnourished, lacked clean water, etc. And when treatments consisted of stuff like having leeches suck out your blood it’s pretty amazing we made it as far as we have!

[SunkenCiv]

This topic was posted 05/01/2021, thanks BenLurkin.

• Cancer rates in medieval Britain around ten times higher than previously thought, study suggests [05/03/2021]