Abnormalities in the skull of an unusual pregnant mummy, dubbed "The Mysterious Lady", suggest a large tumor behind the left eye, but more tests are needed to confirm that the tumor was cancerous.

The pregnant mummy came from the ancient Egyptian city of Thebes (currently Luxor), and it dates back to about the first century BC but was found in the sarcophagus of a male priest.

After the sarcophagus was first opened, researchers at the Warsaw Mummy Project in Poland were surprised to find the remains of an unknown female inside, and soon began analyzing the body for clues as to why it had been preserved in someone else's coffin.

And in August 2021, researchers from the project released a study claiming that a CT scan of the mysterious woman revealed the remains of a fetus inside her womb, making her the world's first known pregnant mummy.

The team estimated that the woman died at the 28th week of pregnancy.

And last January, another study by the same Polish research team described how the fetus was pickled, like an egg inside the mummy.

However, some experts have questioned whether the mummy was actually pregnant.

The researchers suggested that the fossilized fetus might actually be a deformed embalming bundle, which was placed in the body to replace organs removed during the mummification process.

Cancer most likely

And recently, the same research team announced that the mysterious woman likely had cancer of the nasopharynx, which affects the mouth, nasal cavity and trachea, according to a blog published by researchers at the "Warsaw Mummy Project".

The new claims are based on deformations found in the mummy's skull, but the results have not yet been reviewed or confirmed with chemical tests.

Researchers first became aware of a possible cancer after a 3D reconstruction of the mysterious woman's skull revealed a 7-mm hole behind her left eye socket.

This unusual gap indicates that a tumor has grown there, forcing the surrounding bone to move away from the rest of the cavity.

“Alternatively, the hole may have been left because of A cyst or caused by anemia, or iron deficiency (common in pregnant women), which can alter the surface of the eye socket.”

"Additional minor abnormalities of the bones of the nasal cavity, jaw and sinuses make cancer the most likely cause," she added.

Computed tomography of the mummy's skull showing a small hole behind the left eye socket (Warsaw Mummy Project)

Another piece of the puzzle

It would be impossible to tell the cause of these deformities from a skull of this age, but since the mysterious lady was well preserved, traces of soft tissues still clinged to her bones.

These tissues will allow researchers to perform histological tests, similar to those used in cancer testing today, to determine if the mystery woman has cancer.

“Similar studies have revealed evidence of other types of cancer in mummies,” said Oarek Zelke.

The team expects to have a final result by the end of the year.

And if these abnormalities are in fact caused by cancer, it may be the disease that killed the mysterious lady.

"Cancer could have been the direct cause of her death, but it is difficult to say for sure," said Oarik Zelke.

She added that it was also possible that pregnancy played a role in her death.

Researchers are excited about the potential discovery because it is rare to know how embalmers died.

"When examining human remains, we always wonder why the deceased that was examined died," said Oarek Zelke. "We often do not succeed in finding an answer to this question."

However, there is still much to learn about the mysterious lady, such as why she was found in the wrong coffin and her identity.

"We've unearthed another piece of the puzzle from her life... but we're still missing a few pieces," said Oarik Zelke.

A researcher looks at the mysterious lady's x-ray (Warsaw Mummy Project)

How can ancient mummies help in the treatment of cancer?

A common misconception is that cancer is a modern disease, but in fact the oldest known case is a human who lived in South Africa 1.7 million years ago.

This indicates that cancer is one of the oldest documented diseases in human history.

At present, disease incidence depends on many factors including old age, tobacco and alcohol use, obesity, certain types of viral infections such as human papillomavirus (HPV), and genetic predisposition.

Changes in the environment and lifestyle can increase their frequency.

Among other things, this last question can be answered by searching for cancer in preserved ancient tissues, such as a pregnant mummy.