Egyptian mummy reveals earliest breast cancer case

 The earliest known breast cancer victim has been discovered – an Egyptian woman who died 4,000 years ago and was mummified.

Researchers from the University of Granada conducted CAT scans of two mummies found in the necropolis of Qubbet el-hawa in Aswan, Egypt.

They discovered that the woman, who belonged to the governing Egyptian family of Elephantine, died of breast cancer around 2,000 BC.

Previously, the earliest references to deadly tumours in the breast date from a papyrus written in 1,600 BC.

Researchers said the scan confirms that the disease was present in humans in ancient times while showing that the woman belonged to an advanced society with enough resources for support and care.

A second scan of a male mummy showed the man died of multiple myeloma, the oldest case of bone marrow cancer ever discovered.