A horned dinosaur that lived about 76 million years ago became the first known example of a dinosaur diagnosed with cancer. /CFP

The fossils of the Centrosaurus apertus were first unearthed in the badlands of Dinosaur Provincial Park in Canada's Alberta province in 1989. Scientists had spotted a badly malformed leg bone but thought it was a healed fracture. /CFP

Recent research revealed that the malformation found in the leg bone of the plant-eating dinosaur was a manifestation of osteosarcoma, a malignant bone cancer. "This remarkable find shows that no matter how big or powerful some dinosaurs may seem, they were affected by many of the same diseases we see in humans and other animals today, including cancer," said paleontologist David Evans of the Royal Ontario Museum in Toronto, a member of the research team. /CFP