carcinoma

(noun)

An invasive malignant tumor derived from epithelial tissue that tends to metastasize to other areas of the body.

Related Terms

Examples of carcinoma in the following topics:

  • Skin Cancer

    • The three main types of skin cancer are basal cell carcinoma (the most common of all cancers), squamous cell carcinoma, and melanoma.
    • Basal cell carcinoma usually presents as a raised, smooth, pearly bump on the sun-exposed skin of the head, neck, or shoulders.
    • Squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) is commonly a red, scaling, thickened patch on sun-exposed skin.
    • The mortality rate of basal cell and squamous cell carcinoma is around 0.3%, causing two thousand deaths per year in the U.S.

  • Metastasis Through Lymphatic Vessels

    • This is the most common route of metastasis for carcinomas.
    • This is the most common route of metastasis for carcinomas.
    • Haematogenous spread: This is typical route of metastasis for sarcomas, but it is also the favored route for certain types of carcinoma, (e.g., renal cell carcinoma).
    • Micrograph showing a lymph node invaded by ductal breast carcinoma and with extranodal extension of tumour.
    • Surrounding the lymphocytes and extending into the surrounding fat (top of image) is ductal breast carcinoma.

  • Lung Cancer

    • Most cancers that start in lung, known as primary lung cancers, are carcinomas that derive from epithelial cells.
    • The main types of lung cancer are small cell lung carcinoma (SCLC), also called oat cell cancer, and non-small cell lung carcinoma (NSCLC).
    • There are three main sub-types: squamous cell lung carcinoma, adenocarcinoma, and large cell lung carcinoma.
    • Accounting for 25% of lung cancers, squamous cell lung carcinoma usually starts near a central bronchus.
    • Damage to chromosomes 3p, 5q, 13q, and 17p are particularly common in small-cell lung carcinoma.

  • Cervical Cancer

    • Most cervical cancers are squamous cell carcinomas, arising in the squamous (flattened) epithelial cells that line the cervix.
    • This large squamous carcinoma (bottom of picture) has obliterated the cervix and invaded the lower uterine segment.

  • Sun Damage, Sunscreen, and Sunblock

    • The use of sunscreen is known to prevent the direct DNA damage that causes sunburn and the two most common forms of skin cancer, basal-cell carcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma.

  • RNA Oncogenic Viruses

    • Hepatitis viruses includes hepatitis B and hepatitis C have been linked to hepatocellular carcinoma.
    • Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) has been linked to Burkitt's lymphoma, Hodgkin's lymphoma, post-transplantation lymphoproliferative disease, and nasopharyngeal carcinoma.

  • Defective Viruses

    • Cirrhosis leading to hepatocellular carcinoma (autopsy specimen).

  • Urinary Bladder Cancer

    • The most common type of bladder cancer recapitulates the normal histology of the urothelium, and is known as transitional cell carcinoma.

  • DNA Oncogenic Viruses

    • However, when the filtrate was injected into a domestic rabbit, the result was a carcinoma, a malignant growth.

  • Effects of Aging on the Integumentary System