Cancer is a strictly man-made disease.
Cancer is not a strictly man-made disease; evidence from the fossil record and archaeological remains shows that malignant tumors affected hominin precursors and ancient populations long before the modern industrial era.
The claim is that cancer is strictly man-made. All three retrieved papers discuss paleopathological evidence of cancer in ancient humans, hominin ancestors, and animals prior to modern civilization. Therefore, the claim is clearly refuted by scientific evidence showing deep evolutionary roots for cancer.
Edward C Halperin. Paleo-oncology: the role of ancient remains in the study of cancer.. 2004. https://doi.org/10.1353/pbm.2004.0010
Paper [0] discusses paleo-oncology and the evidence of cancer in ancient human populations and animal fossils.
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G Chene, G Lamblin, K Le Bail-Carval, E Beaufils, P Chabert, P Gaucherand, G Mellier, Y Coppens. [Lucy's cancer(s): A prehistorical origin?].. 2016. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gyobfe.2016.10.001
Paper [1] highlights the discovery of ancient tumors, such as a 1.7-million-year-old osteosarcoma, proving cancer existed long before modern industrial society.
Lucie Biehler-Gomez, Carlotta Sala, Mirko Mattia, Marco Sannazaro, Cristina Cattaneo. Metastatic cancer in antiquity: Case study from 3rd-4th century Milan, Italy.. 2025. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijpp.2025.05.003
Paper [2] documents metastatic cancer in skeletal remains from 3rd-4th century Milan, contributing to the evidence of cancer in antiquity.
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