Subject(s)
Neoplasm Metastasis/history , Breast Neoplasms/history , Female , History, 19th Century , HumansABSTRACT
Metastasis continues to be the most devastating event for the patient with an established primary cancer. The most significant therapeutic problems are: (1) treatment of patients with established macrometastases, (2) identification of patients who have micrometastases and (3) the development of adequate adjunctive therapies for micrometastases. It is hoped that our evolving understanding of the biology of experimental metastasis and the high level of premium quality laboratory research ongoing in this area will result in further resolution of this clinical problem or, at least, a better understanding of this most extreme expression of the malignant phenotype.
Subject(s)
Neoplasms/pathology , Neoplastic Cells, Circulating , Animals , Cell Adhesion , Cell Division , Female , History, 15th Century , History, 16th Century , History, 18th Century , History, 19th Century , History, 20th Century , History, Ancient , Humans , Immunity , Lymphatic Metastasis/surgery , Macrophages/immunology , Male , Models, Biological , Neoplasm Metastasis/history , Neoplasm Metastasis/therapy , Neoplasm Seeding , Neoplasms/blood , Neoplasms/genetics , Neoplasms/history , Neoplasms, Experimental/immunology , Neoplasms, Experimental/pathologyABSTRACT
A survey of the tumors found in the remains of the Ancient Egyptians shows the occurrence of all the kinds of tumors which would be expected to be preserved in the osteological evidence. On the other hand, findings of tumors in the soft tissues of mummies are only exceptional. The frequency of tumors seems to be lower than in recent years, probably because of the shorter mean duration of life. The pathological lesions preserved in bony sturcture reveal not only osseous tumors, but also the presence of some tumors of soft tissues eroding the bone. To the survey of cases described in the literature, original findings of a calcified myoma uteri and of a probably epipharyngeal carcinoma are added. Because our knowledge on the history of tumors is not yet comprehensive, much more attention should be devoted to the search for them, starting from the moment of excavation of any cemetary.
