First cancer in an extinct Quaternary non-human mammal

Abstract

Here we report a parosteal osteosarcoma, a malignant bone neoplasm, in a right femur assigned to the Quaternary ground sloth Nothrotherium maquinense. The specimen was collected at Lapa dos Peixes I, a cave located at Serra do Ramalho plateau, Bahia, Brazil. The diagnosis was based on the macroscopic, radiologic and histologic appearance of the lesion. The presence of this pathology may indicate that the individual suffered from local pain, localised swelling and limitation of joint movement, which would have been extremely harmful for its life. Even though neoplasms are recognised in almost all metazoans, this is the first case of cancer reported for a Quaternary non-human mammal and appears to be the first report of this specific form of bone cancer in the fossil record.

How Common Are Lesions on the Tails of Sauropods? Two New Pathologies in Titanosaurs from the Late Cretaceous of Argentine Patagonia

“…Developmental disorders produce an abnormal proliferation of cells, and to rule them out, it is necessary to undertake an analysis of the pattern of bone destruction and the nature and extent of the medullary, cortical, or periosteal reaction or disruption, as well as of the calcification of the matrix of the tumor [40]. In this way, one can rule out hemolytic anemia and hemangiomas, since these affect the cortical tissue by thinning it, and malignant tumors (osteosarcoma, chondrosarcoma, and hemangiosarcoma [41]) produced by errors in the regulation of cell division [41] because they use thinning and present a spiculated periosteal reactions [40].…”