Employing radiography (X‐rays) to localize lesions in human skeletal remains from past populations to allow accurate biopsy, using examples of cancer metastases

Clinical research into biomolecules from infectious diseases and cancers has advanced rapidly in recent years, with two key areas being DNA analysis and proteomics. If we wish to understand important diseases and their associated biomolecules in past populations, techniques are required that will allow accurate biopsy of lesions in excavated human skeletal remains. While locating lesions visible on the surface of a bone is simple, many lesions such as cancer metastases are located in the medulla of bones, unseen on visual inspection. Here, we use two novel image guided techniques to investigate how plain radiographs may improve accuracy in the localization of lesions within bones from medieval individuals. While both techniques were effective, we found the grid technique required fewer radiographs than the pointer technique to employ and so was responsible for a lower overall radiation dose. We then discuss methods available for biopsy in archeological bone and how the optimal location for the biopsy of malignant lesions will vary depending upon whether the tumor is blastic or lytic in nature. Limitations of this X-ray guided approach include that not all cancer metastases are visible on plain radiographs, as erosion of cortical bone is frequently required for visualization of lytic metastases using this imaging modality

Biopsy · Cancer · Pathology · Radiography · Radiology · Forensic and Genetic Research · Forensic Anthropology and Bioarchaeology Studies · Medicine · Molecular Biology Techniques and Applications · Internal Medicine

• Employing radiography (X‐rays) to localize lesions in human skeletal remains from past populations to allow accurate biopsy, using examples of cancer metastases

  Open Access•P D Mitchell, J M Dittmar•International Journal of…•2022

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• Assessing the relative benefits of imaging with plain radiographs and microCT scanning to diagnose cancer in past populations

  Open Access•P D Mitchell, J M Dittmar et al.•International Journal of…•2022

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• From the field to the laboratory

  Open Access•Bastien Llamas, Guido Valverde et al.•STAR Science & Technology of…•2017

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• Employing radiography (X‐rays) to localize lesions in human skeletal remains from past populations to allow accurate biopsy, using examples of cancer metastases

  Open Access•P D Mitchell, J M Dittmar•International Journal of…•2022

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• An investigation into the effects of X-ray on the recovery of ancient DNA from skeletal remains

  Open Access•Lars Fehren-Schmitz, Joshua D Kapp et al.•Journal of Archaeological Science•2016

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