Employing radiography (X‐rays) to localize lesions in human skeletal remains from past populations to allow accurate biopsy, using examples of cancer metastases
Publication Date
2022-01-11Journal Title
International Journal of Osteoarchaeology
ISSN
1047-482X
1099-1212
Language
en
Type
Other
This Version
AO
VoR
Metadata
Show full item recordCitation
Mitchell, P. D., & Dittmar, J. M. (2022). Employing radiography (X‐rays) to localize lesions in human skeletal remains from past populations to allow accurate biopsy, using examples of cancer metastases. [Other]. https://doi.org/10.1002/oa.3087
Abstract
Abstract: 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.
Keywords
SHORT REPORT, SHORT REPORTS, aDNA, biopsy, gene mutation, imaging, malignancy, osteoarcheology, proteomics, radiographs
Sponsorship
Wellcome Trust (200368/Z/15/Z)
Identifiers
oa3087
External DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/oa.3087
This record's DOI: https://doi.org/10.17863/CAM.80421
Rights
Licence:
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
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