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Egypt’s mysterious pregnant mummy most likely died of cancer, scientists say

X-ray analysis and CT images of the embalmed woman show signs of nasopharyngeal cancer, which researchers hope will now provide new clues to the evolution of this disease.
The mummy of a pregnant woman from ancient Egypt is prepared for a CT scan, Affidea clinic, Otwock, Poland, 2015.

The Polish team of scientists investigating the first known mummy of a pregnant woman from ancient Egypt announced that, following the latest analysis of her skull, they discovered that the embalmed woman most probably died of cancer. The team, which is part of the Warsaw Mummy Project, hopes that, if confirmed, their discovery will help to better understand this disease and its evolution over the last millennia.

In the results of their latest study, the Polish team detailed that the pregnant mummy was X-rayed and CT scanned during a radiological examination of a number of Egyptian mummies. The analysis of the data obtained in this process then revealed anomalies in her craniofacial bones, similar to those caused by a nasopharyngeal cancer, which originates in the area of the nose and the throat. Further CT images of the bone behind her left eye orbit also revealed features that may be identified as the presence of a small tumor, which the group of scientists have identified as a possible metastatic site.

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