Two views of the Centrosaurus apertus shin bone (fibula) with malignant bone cancer (osteosarcoma). The extensive invasion of the cancer throughout the bone (yellow) suggests that it persisted for a considerable period of the dinosaur's life and might have spread to other parts of the body prior to death. (Royal Ontario Museum/McMaster University)
Cancer diagnosed in a dinosaur
Roughly 76 million years ago, a Centrosaurus that lived in what is now Canada was walking around with a malignant tumour in its lower leg. The deformed fossil bone was diagnosed with osteosarcoma — the first time that cancer has been confirmed in a dinosaur, although scientists have identified benign tumours in Tyrannosaurus rex fossils. Researchers say that the tumour could have eventually been fatal, but considering where the specimen was found, the Centrosaurus probably died in a flood with the rest of its herd.
Science | 2 min readReference: The Lancet Oncology paper
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