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In defence of the osteoma: The relevance of benign tumours in bioarchaeology and palaeo‐oncology
Author(s) -
Siek Thomas
Publication year - 2019
Publication title -
international journal of osteoarchaeology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.738
H-Index - 60
eISSN - 1099-1212
pISSN - 1047-482X
DOI - 10.1002/oa.2839
Subject(s) - bioarchaeology , relevance (law) , neoplastic disease , medicine , disease , clinical oncology , pathology , cancer , history , archaeology , political science , law
Currently, research focus in palaeo‐oncology is dominated by malignant neoplasms, and this focus has led to an academic apathy towards benign tumours. The lack of interest in benign tumours is mainly due to the notion that they are commonplace occurrences with little clinical value. As a result, knowledge and understanding of benign tumours are lacking, and this has become a hindrance to the overall understanding of neoplastic disease in bioarchaeological contexts. It is the goal of this commentary to highlight the relevance of benign tumours and to encourage future research in this neglected area of palaeo‐oncology.