At over 4,200 years old, world’s oldest evidence of breast cancer is unearthed in Aswan

Buried in Aswan, the discovery of an ancient Egyptian woman’s bodily remains has revealed astonishing medical and archaeological evidence, in effect unearthing the oldest case of cancer – specifically breast cancer - known to mankind.

According to a statement issued by Egypt’s Ministry of Antiquities on Tuesday, the skeletal remains of a woman believed to belong to the nobility was discovered in Aswan (around 900 kilometers south of Cairo) by a team of Spanish archaeologists from the University of Jaen.

The noblewoman’s skeletal remains were found in the Qubbat al-Hawa necropolis, near Elephantine Island, on the west bank of the Nile River in Aswan.

Ministry officials suggest that this aristocratic woman died sometime around the year 2,200 BC. The ministry’s statement claims that she was alive towards the end of the Old Kingdom’s Sixth Dynasty (circa 2345 BC – 2181 BC.)

Citing Miguel Ortega, a professor working with the Spanish archaeological team involved in this excavation, the ministry’s statement added that the woman’s “skeletal remains show the typical destructive damage induced by the spread of breast cancer through the bones as a metastasis."

The leader of the Spanish archaeological team, Alejandro Jiménez, explained that his team of scientific experts has been conducting excavations at the Qubbat al-Hawa necropolis since 2008.

Their latest discovery clearly dispels the idea that cancer is a modern or contemporary disease.

Prior to Tuesday’s announcement, the oldest confirmed case of cancer – dating back some 3,200 years – was found in the bodily remains of an ancient man buried in Northern Sudan.

In modern times, cancer claims millions of lives around the world each year. 

Several million women are diagnosed with breast cancer each year. However, early detection and treatment, along with modern medical advances mean that cancer may be more easily contained and treated.