Ancient Egyptians ‘were trying to understand and treat cancer 4,000 years ago’

A 4,000-year-old Egyptian skull thought to belong to a male individual aged 30 to 35 (Tondini/Isidro/Camaros/Frontiers in Medicine/PA)

Ancient Egyptians were trying to understand and treat cancer more than 4,000 years ago, scientists believe.

Researchers have found evidence of cutmarks on a skull around a large lesion thought to have been caused by a cancerous growth.