A historical and palaeopathological perspective on cancer

Cancer is often wrongly considered to be a modern disease in many popular medical venues. Cancers have been known to humanity since ancient times. In fact, its antiquity can be iden‑ tified through the application of palaeopathological methodolo‑ gies. The present perspective demonstrates by means of a histori‑ cal and palaeopathological analysis how oncological manifes‑ tations were present long before the emergence of anatomically modern humans and addresses the epidemiological transition from ancient times to the contemporary world. The final section of the article examines breast cancer and its identification in ancient human remains.