Neolithic case of metastasizing carcinoma: Multiple approaches to differential diagnosis

The remains of the fragmented skeleton of a mature male individual from a Neolithic mass burial (ca. 5000 years BP) are presented. The lesions consist of osteoblastic proliferation and replacement of previously normal haematopoietic tissue. The most affected area seems to have been the iliac blade. So-called ‘seeding’ of tumour tissue has been found in different loci in the femoral neck, sacrum, L4 and scapula. Differential diagnosis points to metastatic carcinoma, most likely from the prostrate gland. In order to support the observations, radiological and histological analyses have been performed. Trace element analyses of tumour and control samples have shown the limited contribution of these data to ascertain the aetiology of secondary neoplasias in buried material.