Cancer rates in medieval Britain were around 10 times higher than previously thought, a study of skeletons has suggested. Past studies had indicated that the disease affected less than 1% of the population in an age before cigarettes and polluting chemicals from industry, and with shorter life expectancies giving cancer less time to develop. However, a Cambridge University study which used x-rays and CT scans for the first time has suggested that between nine and 14% of the population died with cancer. Researchers examined the remains of 143 skeletons from six medieval cemeteries in and around Cambridge, dating from the sixth to the 16th century.