Now, scientists say they have, for the first time, found that dinosaurs suffered from osteosarcoma -- an aggressive malignant cancer that afflicts humans today.
It's an overgrowth of disorganized bone that spreads rapidly both through the bone and to other organs, including most commonly, the lung. The team analyzing the fossilized bone included professionals from diverse fields including pathology, radiology, orthopedic surgery and paleopathology -- the study of disease and infection in the fossil record.
Osteosarcoma is the cancer that afflicted Canadian athlete Terry Fox, a national hero who in 1980 set out to cross Canada, running about the equivalent of a marathon each day to raise money for cancer research. But Fox, who had a prosthetic right leg, had to quit after 143 days as his cancer spread. He died less than a year later.
"The shin bone shows aggressive cancer at an advanced stage. The cancer would have had crippling effects on the individual and made it very vulnerable to the formidable tyrannosaur predators of the time," said study-co author David Evans, the James and Louise Temerty endowed chair of vertebrate palaeontology at the Royal Ontario Museum in Toronto in the news release.
Philippines Latest News, Philippines Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Source: gmanetwork - 🏆 12. / 63 Read more »
Source: gmanetwork - 🏆 12. / 63 Read more »
Source: manilabulletin - 🏆 25. / 51 Read more »
Source: rapplerdotcom - 🏆 4. / 86 Read more »
Source: rapplerdotcom - 🏆 4. / 86 Read more »
Source: CNN Philippines - 🏆 13. / 63 Read more »