Their diagnosis based on the available evidence and comparison with current patient records is that he had a sporadic, advanced gastric carcinoma. This means the tumour (T3) was quite large, had spread to some local lymph nodes (N1) near the stomach, but had not spread or metastased (M0) to other organs.
The scientists suggest that Napoleon died from a T3N1M0 (stage IIIA) gastric cancer. The new study dismisses these theories, pointing to the fact that the autopsy performed on him described his stomach as containing ulcerated lesions, which, using today’s knowledge, suggests he was chronically infected with the bacteria Helicobacter pylori.
It is thought that his father had also died of stomach cancer which led to the theory that he had inherited the disease. The autopsy that was performed at the time said he had died of stomach cancer.
