Cancer found in 4,500-year-old skeleton

Researchers examining the bones of a man who died in Siberia 4,500 years ago have discovered that he suffered from lung or prostate cancer that had spread throughout his body.

“This is one of — if not the oldest — absolute cases of cancer that we can be really, really confident saying that it’s cancer,” said Angela Lieverse, a bioarchaeologist at the University of Saskatchewan in Saskatoon.

She said there have been similar cancer discoveries in remains estimated to be 5,000 to 6,000 years old. But those involved unconfirmed cancers or tumours that were later found to be benign.

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Story: CBC News | Photo: Angela Lieverse, University of Saskatchewan, The Canadian Press