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Period: 200 to
3000-1500 BC
The Edwin Smith Papyrus, which is the oldest written description of cancer known to exist, describes eight cases of breast tumors or ulcers in Egypt that were treated with cauterization, with a tool called the firedrill. However, the document also states that “there is no treatment” for cancer. The original document, written in 3000 BC, was acquired in 1862 by Edwin Smith at Luxor, Egypt