New insights into tumour biologyThe ancient Egyptians, as described in the Ebers Papyrus, already knew that palpation -feeling for hardened lumps - can help diagnose breast cancer. Palpation is still an important element in early screening for breast cancer. On the other hand, measurements on individual cancer cells show that they are softer than the healthy epithelial cells from which they stem, which probably makes them better able to metastasise in dense human tissue.
