They discovered cut marks — believed to be from metal tools — on the inside of skulls with signs of tumours from more than 4,000 years ago.
5
5
5
Their findings are from examining the skull of a man in his 30s from 2500BC and a woman in her 50s from 500BC.
While they both had damaged bone — showing they probably suffered from brain cancer — they also had tool marks.
Researchers said they were proof that healers tried to operate on brain tumours.
Professor Edgard Camaros, from the University of Santiago de Compostela, in Spain, said: “This is unique evidence of how ancient Egyptian medicine would have tried to deal with or explore cancer.
“It is an extraordinary new perspective to understand the history of medicine.”
Egyptians were known to be good with metal and used copper, iron and gold to make decorations.
They also experimented with medicine by fixing tooth cavities with metal fillings, setting broken bones with splints and using honey and plants to cure illness.
The findings suggest ancient Egyptians understood cancer but could not treat it.
Cancer is thought to have been rarer in ancient Egypt compared with today as people did not live as long.
Researcher Tatiana Tondini, added: “Although ancient Egyptians were able to deal with complex fractures, cancer was still a medical knowledge frontier.”
5
5