The oldest known case of multiple myeloma (and breast cancer) in the world has
been found by an international team that includes researchers from the UGR's
anthropology group under the direction of Prof. Miguel Cecilio Botella López of
the Department of Legal Medicine, Toxicology, and Physical Anthropology.
CT scans of the 3,800-year-old male mummy found in the
Egyptian necropolis of Qubbet el-Hawa in Aswan were used to make the
findings. The multiple myeloma patient passed away around 1800 B.C. and
belonged to the ruling classes of the ruling Egyptian families of Elephantine,
or at the very least to the wealthy classes. Since acute infections either
result in death or are treated within a brief period of time and, as a result,
do not leave any marks on bones, researchers believe that acute infections are
the most likely cause of death in this mummy.
Professor Miguel Cecilio Botella López described the
remarkable condition of the ancient remains: “Both mummies were still wrapped
in spectacular shrouds of multi-colored faience beads, which in turn resemble a
mask. The body structures of mummies from this period are superbly preserved,
and we can discern very clearly what their faces looked like.”
An international team of researchers, including scientists
from the University of Granada’s anthropology group, identified what was
reported as the oldest known case of multiple myeloma at the time of the
discovery.
Researchers used CT scans to examine the approximately
3,800-year-old male mummy discovered in the ancient Egyptian necropolis of
Qubbet el-Hawa, near Aswan. The man lived around 1800 B.C. and is believed to
have belonged to the ruling or wealthy classes associated with Elephantine.
The scans revealed numerous small lesions throughout his
skeleton. Their pattern and distribution were consistent with multiple myeloma,
providing remarkable evidence that this disease affected humans thousands of
years before modern medicine had a name for it.
Researchers could identify signs of the disease in his
bones, but determining exactly what caused his death is much more difficult.
Acute infections, for example, can kill quickly without leaving obvious
evidence in skeletal remains. This means we may never know whether multiple
myeloma itself, an infection, or another complication ultimately caused his
death.
What we do know is fascinating: multiple myeloma is not a
modern disease. Its story reaches back nearly 4,000 years.
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