The investigation of mammary glands in mummies has been largely overlooked due to preservation challenges. Postmortem alterations, including fat hydrolysis, lead to significant variability in breast morphology, sometimes making them unidentifiable. To date, only a handful of mummified breast pathologies have been reported, with histological confirmation available in only a few cases. Breast cancer has never been conclusively identified in mummified remains, largely due to the absence of histological evidence. In this study, we applied modern radiological and histopathological techniques to a partially mummified 20th-century female body discovered in a burial chamber in Sermoneta, Italy. The preserved left breast was examined using digital mammography, which revealed scattered microcalcifications resembling those seen in epithelial proliferative lesions. Histological analysis demonstrated the presence of fibrous stroma, fungal spores, arthropod fragments, and pollen grains, all of which were identified as taphonomic alterations rather than indicators of disease. The microcalcifications observed in mammography corresponded to calcium deposits confirmed by von Kossa staining, further supporting a postmortem origin. Our findings highlight the importance of histology as a crucial diagnostic tool in paleopathological investigations, particularly for differentiating true pathological changes from taphonomic artifacts, and avoid misinterpretations. The application of modern diagnostic imaging, coupled with histopathological validation, represents a promising approach for future studies on mummified breast tissue and ancient disease diagnostics.
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