Human beings and other animals have had cancer throughout recorded history. So it’s no surprise
that from the dawn of history people have written about cancer. Some of the earliest evidence of
cancer is found among fossilized bone tumors, human mummies in ancient Egypt, and ancient
manuscripts. Growths suggestive of the bone cancer called osteosarcoma have been seen in
mummies. Bony skull destruction as seen in cancer of the head and neck has been found, too.
Our oldest description of cancer (although the word cancer was not used) was discovered in Egypt
and dates back to about 3000 BC. It’s called the Edwin Smith Papyrus and is a copy of part of an
ancient Egyptian textbook on trauma surgery. It describes 8 cases of tumors or ulcers of the breast
that were removed by cauterization with a tool called the fire drill. The writing says about the
disease, “There is no treatment.”