International Journal of Paleopathology 
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This is an RSS file. You can use it to subscribe to this data in your favourite RSS reader or to display this data on your own website or blog.Paleo-oncology: Taking stock and moving forward
This article serves as an introduction to the International Journal of Paleopathology’s special issue, Paleo-oncology: Taking Stock and Moving Forward. Reflecting the goals of the special issue, this paper has been designed to provide an overview of the current state of paleo-oncology, to introduce new and innovative paleo-oncological research and ideas, and to serve as a catalyst for future discussions and progress. This paper begins with an overview of the paleo-oncological evidence that can be found in ancient remains, followed by a summary of significant paleo-oncological findings and methodological advances to date....
Source: International Journal of Paleopathology - July 10, 2018 Category: Pathology Source Type: research
Taking stock: A systematic review of archaeological evidence of cancers in human and early hominin remains
This study summarizes data from 154 paleopathological studies documenting 272 archaeologically recovered individuals exhibiting skeletal or soft tissue evidence of cancer (malignant neoplastic disease) between 1.8 million years ago and 1900 CE. The paper reviews and summarizes the temporal, spatial and demographic distribution of the evidence and the methods used to provide the cancer diagnoses. Metastasis to bone is the most widely reported evidence (n = 161), followed by multiple myeloma (n = 55). In the dataset, males were represented more than females (M = 127, F = 94), and middle-adults (35–49) and o...
Source: International Journal of Paleopathology - July 10, 2018 Category: Pathology Source Type: research
Neoplasm or not? General principles of morphologic analysis of dry bone specimens
Publication date: June 2018Source: International Journal of Paleopathology, Volume 21Author(s): Bruce D. Ragsdale, Roselyn A. Campbell, Casey L. KirkpatrickAbstractUnlike modern diagnosticians, a paleopathologist will likely have only skeletonized human remains without medical records, radiologic studies over time, microbiologic culture results, etc. Macroscopic and radiologic analyses are usually the most accessible diagnostic methods for the study of ancient skeletal remains. This paper recommends an organized approach to the study of dry bone specimens with reference to specimen radiographs. For circumscribed lesions, t...
Source: International Journal of Paleopathology - July 10, 2018 Category: Pathology Source Type: research
The utility of 3D medical imaging techniques for obtaining a reliable differential diagnosis of metastatic cancer in an Iron Age skull
In this report we present a case of neoplastic disease affecting an Iron Age skull that provides some of the earliest evidence of metastatic cancer (MC) in Western Europe. The cranium comes from the indigenous site of Baucina (Palermo, Sicily) and was recovered in a multiple burial context dated to the 6th–5th centuries BCE. The skull was attributed to an adult female and was characterized by numerous perforating lytic lesions. CT and 3D imaging analyses were crucial for obtaining a diagnosis of MC. Based on the morphology of the lytic lesions and the biological profile of our specimen, we can tentatively suggest breast ...
Source: International Journal of Paleopathology - July 10, 2018 Category: Pathology Source Type: research
A case of benign osteogenic tumour in Homo naledi: Evidence for peripheral osteoma in the U.W. 101-1142 mandible
This study adds to the growing corpus of palaeopathological data from the South African fossil record, which suggests that the incidence of neoplastic disease in deep prehistory was more prevalent than traditionally accepted. The study also highlights the utility of micro-computed tomography in assisting accurate diagnoses of ancient pathologies. (Source: International Journal of Paleopathology)
Source: International Journal of Paleopathology - July 10, 2018 Category: Pathology Source Type: research
Dry bone histology of bone tumours
This article focuses on the application of dry bone histology in the diagnosis of a series of different bone tumours. It provides a short introduction on bone tumour classification and how tumours may affect the skeleton. To illustrate the value of dry bone histology in the diagnostic process we studied the ‘fresh’ and ‘dry’ bone histology of a series of well-documented, recent clinical cases of various benign and malignant bone tumours.We show that histology is a valuable instrument to assess bone tissue architecture, which provides information on the biological behaviour of a tumour. Though histology may reveal t...
Source: International Journal of Paleopathology - July 10, 2018 Category: Pathology Source Type: research
Histology of ancient soft tissue tumors: A review
Publication date: June 2018Source: International Journal of Paleopathology, Volume 21Author(s): Gino FornaciariAbstractAncient neoplasms diagnosed in the soft tissues of mummies are limited to 18 cases so far, with only 5 malignant tumors. The apparent paucity of neoplasms in ancient populations is sometimes attributed to shorter life spans and fewer oncogenic substances in the environment. However, this paucity may also be a result of the scarcity of autopsies of mummies, together with technical difficulties in detecting neoplastic lesions in mummified tissues. An exception, and example of the benefits of thorough systema...
Source: International Journal of Paleopathology - July 10, 2018 Category: Pathology Source Type: research
Molecular paleopathology and paleo-oncology–State of the art, potentials, limitations and perspectives
Publication date: June 2018Source: International Journal of Paleopathology, Volume 21Author(s): Andreas G. NerlichAbstractThis paper reviews the current knowledge on molecular paleopathology with respect to oncological information. This covers both the information on the protein level (proteome) as well as the gene level (genome) and includes data on carcinogenic factors − such as molecular evidence for oncogenic viral infections.Currently, relatively little data is available for neoplastic disease in paleopathology. Likewise, few studies describe the biochemical or immunohistochemical analysis of tumors − a tool to po...
Source: International Journal of Paleopathology - July 10, 2018 Category: Pathology Source Type: research
Absence of evidence or evidence of absence? A discussion on paleoepidemiology of neoplasms with contributions from two Portuguese human skeletal reference collections (19th–20th century)
This study presents a quantitative estimate of the accuracy of paleopathological diagnosis; as well as a theoretical reflection on the burden of cancer in the past. We emphasize the need for a paradigm shift while thinking about the future of paleo-oncology. (Source: International Journal of Paleopathology)
Source: International Journal of Paleopathology - July 10, 2018 Category: Pathology Source Type: research
Paleo-oncology in the Dakhleh Oasis, Egypt: Case studies and a paleoepidemiological perspective
This article describes six cases of cancer from the Dakhleh Oasis, Egypt. A mummy had a confirmed ‘primary’ diagnosis of adenocarcinoma of the rectum. The remaining diagnoses were based on the distribution and types of skeletal lesions in conjunction with age, sex, and/or the molecular phylogeny of the Human Papillomavirus (HPV). HPV is a confirmed cause of cancer of the uterine cervix (UC) and testes (TC) and it evolved in Africa long before Homo sapiens emerged. Today these cancers are common in young adult females and males, a fact which was pivotal in respectively including them in the differential diagnosis of UC ...
Source: International Journal of Paleopathology - July 10, 2018 Category: Pathology Source Type: research
Differential diagnosis of a neoplastic condition in a prehistoric juvenile individual from La Falda site, Northwest Argentina
Publication date: June 2018Source: International Journal of Paleopathology, Volume 21Author(s): Mario A. Arrieta, Osvaldo J. Mendonça, María A. BordachAbstractBone neoplasms or tumors are of great interest for paleopathological studies due to their close relationship with health and survivorship as well as for their epidemiologic and demographic relevance. However, the identification of these lesions in archaeological specimens is very uncommon. The aim of this paper is to report the case of skeleton R5 E#1 from the prehistoric cemetery La Falda, in the Northwest region of Argentina. During the osteopathological analysis...
Source: International Journal of Paleopathology - July 10, 2018 Category: Pathology Source Type: research
Extensive periosteal new bone formation in a skeleton from post-Medieval Chichester, England: A probable case of metastatic prostatic carcinoma
Publication date: June 2018Source: International Journal of Paleopathology, Volume 21Author(s): Carolyn Rando, Tony WaldronAbstractAn elderly male skeleton from a site in Chichester, UK, was found with a widespread periosteal reaction, principally affecting the axial skeleton and the pelvis. Radiography showed the presence of sclerosing infiltrates, mainly involving the lumbar vertebrae and pelvis. The differential diagnosis is discussed, reaching the conclusion that hypertrophic osteo-arthopathy (HOA) is the only reasonable alternative condition likely to produce such a widespread periosteal reaction as found here. HOA do...
Source: International Journal of Paleopathology - July 10, 2018 Category: Pathology Source Type: research
On the importance of considering disease subtypes: Earliest detection of a parosteal osteosarcoma? Differential diagnosis of an osteosarcoma in an Anglo–Saxon female
Publication date: June 2018Source: International Journal of Paleopathology, Volume 21Author(s): Lavinia Ferrante di Ruffano, Tony WaldronAbstractA case of potentially dedifferentiated parosteal osteosarcoma was found in the proximal humerus of an adult female buried in the late Anglo–Saxon cemetery of Cherry Hinton, Cambridgeshire, UK. Key features include a large, dense, lobulated mass attached to the medial metaphysis of the proximal humerus by a broad-based attachment, accompanied by cortical destruction and widespread spiculated periosteal reaction. Radiographic images confirm medullary involvement, lack of continuit...
Source: International Journal of Paleopathology - July 10, 2018 Category: Pathology Source Type: research
A probable primary malignant bone tumor in a pre-Columbian human humerus from Cerro Brujo, Bocas del Toro, Panamá
We present a rare case of primary bone cancer principally affecting the right humerus of a skeleton from the pre-Columbian site of Cerro Brujo (1265–1380 CE) in Bocas del Toro, on the Caribbean coast of Panamá, excavated in the early 1970s. The humerus contains a dense, calcified sclerotic mass with associated lytic lesions localized around the midshaft of the diaphysis. Evidence of systemic inflammation and anemia, likely caused by the cancer, are visible in the form of severe porotic hyperostosis of the cranial vault and bilateral periosteal reactions in the tibiae. Differential diagnosis and future probes of the tumo...
Source: International Journal of Paleopathology - July 10, 2018 Category: Pathology Source Type: research
Possible prostate cancer in northern Peru: Differential diagnosis, vascular anatomy, and molecular signaling in the paleopathology of metastatic bone disease
Publication date: June 2018Source: International Journal of Paleopathology, Volume 21Author(s): Haagen D. KlausAbstractThis paper describes four possible cases of metastasized prostate cancer in archaeological human skeletons from the north coast of Peru spanning the Middle Sicán to Colonial eras (roughly A.D. 900–1600). Varying combinations of exuberant abnormal new bone formation and some abnormal bone loss affecting lumbar vertebrae and the bony sacrum were observed in these individuals. Detailed lesion descriptions are followed by a differential diagnosis that systematically eliminates pseudopathology, infectious di...
Source: International Journal of Paleopathology - July 10, 2018 Category: Pathology Source Type: research
