& & CAIRO — A professor from American University in Cairo says discovery of prostate cancer in a 2,200-year-old mummy indicates the disease was caused by genetics, not environment.&

1. & &

   & Don't miss these Health stories&

   &
   1. & & & & & & Surprising 30 percent rise in home births& & & &

      & & & A small, but growing trend of women in the US are choosing home births, a new government report finds. These mostly over 35, non-Hispanic white women are "consciously rejecting the system" of hospital deliveries, says the researcher.& & &

      &
   & &
   2. & & & & & More men than women have oral cancer virus& & & &
   & &
   3. & & & & & Morgellons disease remains a mystery& & & &
   & &
   4. & & & & & Many keep smoking after cancer diagnosis& & & &
   & &
   5. & & & & & 'Miracle' baby born from single frozen sperm & & & &
   & &
&

The genetics-environment question is key to understanding cancer.

AUC professor Salima Ikram, a member of the team that studied the mummy in Portugal for two years, said Sunday the mummy was of a man who died in his forties.

She said this was the second oldest known case of prostate cancer.

"Living conditions in ancient times were very different; there were no pollutants or modified foods, which leads us to believe that the disease is not necessarily only linked to industrial factors," she said.

A statement from AUC says the oldest known case came from a 2,700 year-old skeleton of a king in Russia.

& &

Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

& & &