The world's oldest cancer case (that we know of) was discovered via a tumor in an ancient human's left toe bone, according to a new study, which says that the toe belonged to "an early human ancestor dating back 1.6-1.8 million years old."
The study, published in the peer-reviewed journal South African Journal of Science, documented the the bone's discovery by archaeologists in the Swartkrans Cave in South Africa.
Researchers of the study stated that the discovery was only made possible by the "advances in 3D imaging methods as diagnostic aids. They stress that there would not be any reason "to suspect that primary bone tumors would have been any less frequent in ancient specimens."
Scanning and comparing
Scans of the toe bone fossil were compared to modern-day cases of osteosarcoma, which is a cancer that originates in the cells that form bones - a comparison in which researchers instantly noticed the similarities.
The human ancestor likely belong to the species Paranthropus robustus or Homo ergaster, the study states, and that the tumor with osteosarcoma that found in the Swartkrans Cave "are not related to lifestyle and often occur in younger individuals," essentially stating that it's mostly seen in children and teenagers, according to the American Cancer Society.
The research states that the oldest known cancer case being found inside a bone is logical as organs and skin are more prone to decay.