The rarest among the rare? Acrometastases and disability in the past and beyond

Authors

Nathalie Antunes-Ferreira
Francisco Curate
Carlos Prates
Benoit Bertrand
Carina Marques, The University of Texas Rio Grande ValleyFollow

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

12-2023

Abstract

Metastatic bone disease significantly impacts cancer-related morbidity and mortality nowadays. Herein, we present an adult individual, probably a female, with multiple osteolytic lesions, of variable sizes, distributed predominantly in the axial skeleton but also affecting elements of the appendicular region. This individual also exhibits atypical manifestations of metastatic bone disease, in the form of acrometastases—metastases in the extremities, which are uncommon events in current clinical settings. The individual's skeletonized remains were exhumed from a crypt in the Chapel of the Holy Spirit (Espírito Santo), Loures, Portugal, and have been dated from the 16th to 19th centuries. The multiple osteolytic lesions, noted both by direct and radiological observations, are discussed to expand the knowledge regarding disease manifestations in the past but also to reflect on disability and suffering in past individuals affected by oncologic ailments.

Comments

Original published version available at https://doi.org/10.1002/oa.3258

Read published version freely: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/share/MSVSF38JMDTHZZT6SQVY?target=10.1002/oa.3258

Recommended Citation

Antunes-Ferreira, N., Curate, F., Prates, C., Bertrand, B., & Marques, C. (2023). The rarest among the rare? Acrometastases and disability in the past and beyond. International Journal of Osteoarchaeology, 33(6), 1080–1087. https://doi.org/10.1002/oa.3258

Publication Title

International Journal of Osteoarchaeology

DOI

10.1002/oa.3258