Cancer in Ancient Human Populations: Methods and Practice in Bioarchaeology and Paleopathology

Best Undergraduate Writing in Anthropology Award, 2019-2020Despite its prevalence in contemporary public health, research on the paleopathology of cancer is still extremely limited. Successful methods have been employed to identify cancer in human remains which show a very small fraction of the existing archaeological record to contain signs of cancer. This current evidence would indicate that cancer was much rarer in antiquity than it is now, and this would suggest that cancer is a product of modern day environments and lifestyles. However, this conclusion is based upon very narrow research utilizing a methodology that is limited in its reach. Current methods rely solely on gross observation of skeletal material, which fails to account for the wide range of factors that influence the growth and development of carcinomas. This methodology is insufficient in providing a detailed history of the growth and development of cancer in human antiquity. This project aims to determine an interdisciplinary methodology for the study of ancient human cancers, incorporating approaches employed in bioarcheology, epidemiology, and more contemporary cancer genomics.No embargoAcademic Major: Anthropological SciencesAcademic Major: Englis