Probable prostate cancer in a pre-incaic individual from Pukara de la Cueva, Northwestern Argentina

Abstract

Prostate carcinoma is a common malignant neoplasia that mostly metastasizes to bone in males. Nonetheless, the number of paleopathological cases reported is very small and only two from South American individuals, almost of them being identified in Europe. The purpose of this paper is to document the lesions identified in a new Pre-Columbian (around 1400 AD) individual that corresponds to a middle-aged male from Pukara de la Cueva, Jujuy province, in the Northwest region of Argentina. The skeleton was found disarticulated but it is nearly complete and well preserved. The overall character of the lesions observed is predominantly proliferative in nature, but osteolytic and mixed patterns were also detected in both axial and appendicular skeleton. Macroscopically, this overall pattern and the distribution of the lesions are compatible with a secondary cancer. Radiological examination showed multiple dense areas with sclerotic borders in several bones, which confirm the previous diagnosis of prostate carcinoma. The exuberance and dissemination of the lesions all over the skeleton led infer individual cachexy implying that he would have been assisted by his family and/or social group during the chronic process. Carcinogenic risk factors are also discussed in order to ascertain the possible causes of the disease. This analysis adds a new evidence of a Pre-Columbian carcinoma in a South American native population and enhances the possibilities of an adequate differential diagnosis.