An ovarian tumor with teeth and a piece of bone inside, found in a Roman skeleton.
UAB, Bellaterra, Cerdanyola del Vall̬s, January 2013.- a team of researchers led by UAB has found the first ancient remains of an ovarian teratoma calcified in the pelvis of the skeleton of a woman from the Roman era. The finding confirms the presence in the antiquity of this type of tumour Рformed by remnants of tissues or organs-, very difficult to locate in the study of ancient remains. Within the small round mass they have found four teeth and a small bone fragment.
Teratomas are usually benign and contain the remains of organic matter, such as hair, teeth, bones and other tissues. No no case referenced for ovarian teratoma in ancient remains as found by the team of researchers in this study, led by researcher Núria Armentano biological anthropology of the UAB unit and published in the International Journal of Paleopathology in the scientific literature.
macroscopic view of the ovarian teratoma with two teeth attached inside. Two dental pieces and a small bone fragment was also found. (Author: ANTROPÓLEGS.)LAB)
the tumor consists of a rounded incomplete formation of rough surface, of the same color and texture as the bones of about 43 mm in length and diameter 44. It is located in the right part of the pelvis of the skeleton of a woman aged between 30 and 40 years of age and about 1600 years old, coming from the Roman necropolis of the archaeological site of La Fogonussa (Lleida). The macroscopic study and the scanner allowed to identify four teeth of anomalous morphology, two of them attached to the inner wall of the tumor and a small fragment of bone inside.
Calcification and preservation of outer walls of this tumor are exceptional, given that what is normal in this type of remains is only the internal structures are conserved and disappear the external, very fragile ”, explains Assumpció Malgosa, co-author of the study.
In fact, there are very few differential diagnosis of abdominal and pelvic calcifications made in archaeological contexts, among other reasons because of the difficulty of accurately detailing its nature – may be kidney stones, fibroids, teratomas, remnants of arteries, and a long etcetera. In addition, they are difficult to recognize during the excavation and can easily be confused with stones.
Teratomas are asymptomatic in 60% of cases, but sometimes cause twists and functional problems of the near by compression bodies when they are bulky. Pregnancy seems to favor some complications of teratomas, as for example difficulties at the time of childbirth. Currently it is difficult to grow and less that calcifiquen because they are detected very soon and intervene quickly.
Case of Roman women, researchers do not rule out that the tumor caused the death, although they may not require it; It is also possible to live with the tumor calcified without more complications throughout his life.
The analyzed skeleton recovered in 2010 during the excavation of 46 tombs of the Fogonussa and was part of a total of 87 skeletons. It was complete and well preserved, buried in a tomb in Texas.
Researchers at the unit of biological anthropology of the UAB, ANTHROPOLOGISTS have been involved in research.LAB, of the Institute of Legal Medicine of Catalonia, Hospital Universitario sacred heart of Barcelona and the company Iltirta archaeology of Lleida.
Referencia: article An ovarian teratoma of late Roman age ”. Armentano, N. Subirana, M. Isidro a. stair O. Malgosa. International Journal of Paleopathology 2 (2012) 236-239.
