Preface: A letter from the guest editors (original) (raw)

2018, International Journal of Paleopathology, Special Issue "Paleo-oncology: Taking Stock and Moving Forward"

The Paleo-oncology Research Organization (PRO) was founded following bioarchaeologist Kathryn Hunt's battle with ovarian cancer. As she recovered from chemotherapy and continued her studies, she contemplated how ancient people might have dealt with cancer and began her journey exploring the fascinating field of paleo-oncology. At the 2012 annual Paleopathology Association meeting soon thereafter, she discussed the lack of synthesized paleo-oncological data with her friends and fellow colleagues in bioarchaeology: Casey L. Kirkpatrick, Roselyn A. Campbell, and Jennifer L. Willoughby. Together, the idea for an organization devoted to the study of cancer in the ancient world developed, and an impromptu first meeting was held over lunch, where an outline of the organization's mission was drafted on a napkin, and the Paleo-oncology Research Organization (PRO) was born.