carcinoma
[kahr″sĭ-no´mah] (pl. carcinomas, carcino´mata) a malignant new growth made up of epithelial cells tending to infiltrate surrounding tissues and to give rise to metastases. A form of
cancer, carcinoma makes up the majority of the cases of malignancy of the breast, uterus, intestinal tract, skin, and tongue.
adenocystic carcinoma (
adenoid cystic carcinoma) carcinoma marked by cylinders or bands of hyaline or mucinous stroma separated or surrounded by nests or cords of small epithelial cells, occurring in the mammary and salivary glands, and mucous glands of the respiratory tract. Called also
cylindroma.
basal cell carcinoma the most common form of skin cancer, consisting of an epithelial tumor of the skin originating from neoplastic differentiation of basal cells, rarely metastatic but locally invasive and aggressive. It usually occurs as small pearly nodules or plaques on the face of an older adult, particularly on a sun-exposed area of someone with fair skin. It has been divided into numerous subtypes on the basis of clinical and histological characteristics.
basosquamous carcinoma carcinoma that histologically exhibits both basal and squamous elements.
cylindrical cell carcinoma carcinoma in which the cells are cylindrical or nearly so.
embryonal carcinoma a highly malignant
germ cell tumor that is a primitive form of carcinoma, probably of primitive embryonal cell derivation; it usually arises in a
gonad and may be found either in pure form or as part of a mixed
germ cell tumor.
giant cell carcinoma a poorly differentiated, highly malignant, epithelial neoplasm containing many large multinucleated tumor cells, such as occurs in the lungs.
hepatocellular carcinoma primary carcinoma of the liver cells with hepatomegaly, jaundice, hemoperitoneum, and other symptoms of the presence of an abdominal mass. It is rare in North America and Western Europe but is one of the most common malignancies in parts of sub-Saharan Africa, Southeast Asia, East Asia, and elsewhere. A strong association seems to exist with chronic
hepatitis B virus infection.
carcinoma in si´tu a neoplasm whose tumor cells are confined to the epithelium of origin, without invasion of the basement membrane; the likelihood of subsequent invasive growth is presumed to be high.
medullary carcinoma that composed mainly of epithelial elements with little or no stroma.
nasopharyngeal carcinoma a malignant tumor arising in the epithelial lining of the
nasopharynx, occurring at high frequency in people of Chinese descent. The
epstein-barr virus has been implicated as a causative agent.
oat cell carcinoma a form of
small cell carcinoma in which the cells are round or elongated and slightly larger than lymphocytes; they have scanty cytoplasm and clump poorly.
papillary carcinoma carcinoma in which there are papillary growths that are irregular in nature arising from otherwise normal tissue; it can occur in the thyroid gland, the breast, or the bladder. Called also
papillocarcinoma.
scirrhous carcinoma carcinoma with a hard structure owing to the formation of dense connective tissue in the stroma. Called also
fibrocarcinoma.
carcinoma sim´plex an undifferentiated carcinoma.
small cell carcinoma a common, highly malignant form of
bronchogenic carcinoma in the wall of a major bronchus, occurring mainly in middle-aged individuals with a history of tobacco smoking; it is radiosensitive and has small oval undifferentiated cells. Metastasis to the hilum and to mediastinal lymph nodes is common.
squamous cell carcinoma 1. carcinoma developed from
squamous epithelium, having cuboid cells and characterized by
keratinization. Initially local and superficial, the lesion may later invade and metastasize.
2. the form occurring in the skin, usually originating in sun-damaged areas or preexisting lesions.
3. in the lung, one of the most common types of
bronchogenic carcinoma, generally forming polypoid or sessile masses that obstruct the airways of the bronchi. It usually occurs in middle-aged individuals with a history of smoking. There is frequent invasion of blood and lymphatic vessels with metastasis to regional lymph nodes and other sites. Called also
epidermoid carcinoma.
transitional cell carcinoma a malignant tumor arising from a transitional type of stratified epithelium, usually affecting the urinary bladder.
verrucous carcinoma 1. a variety of
squamous cell carcinoma that has a predilection for the buccal mucosa but also affects other oral soft tissue and the larynx. It is slow-growing and somewhat invasive.
2. Buschke-Löwenstein tumor, so called because it is histologically similar to the oral lesion.
Miller-Keane Encyclopedia and Dictionary of Medicine, Nursing, and Allied Health, Seventh Edition. © 2003 by Saunders, an imprint of Elsevier, Inc. All rights reserved.
car·ci·no·ma (CA),
, pl. car·ci·no·mas
, car·ci·no·ma·ta
(kar'si-nō'mă, -măz, kar'si-nō'mă-tă), Any of various types of malignant neoplasm derived from epithelial cells, chiefly glandular (adenocarcinoma) or squamous (squamous cell carcinoma); the most commonly occurring kind of cancer.
[G. karkinōma, fr. karkinos, cancer, + -oma, tumor]
Like other malignant neoplasms, carcinomas display uncontrolled cellular proliferation, anaplasia (regression of cells and tissues to more primitive or undifferentiated states), and a tendency to invade adjacent tissues and to spread to distant sites by metastasis. A carcinoma arises from a single cell with a genome that either contains an inherited aberration (oncogene) or has acquired one as a consequence of spontaneous mutation or damage by a chemical toxin (carcinogen), radiation, viral infection, chronic inflammation, or other external assault. Probably a complex sequence of biochemical and genetic injuries must take place for a carcinoma to develop. Some carcinomas (for example, prostate, breast) depend partly on the presence of hormones (androgen, estrogen) for their proliferation. Carcinomas are graded histologically according to evidence of invasiveness and changes that indicate anaplasia (loss of polarity of nuclei, loss of orderly maturation of cells particularly in squamous cell types, variation in the size and shape of cells, hyperchromatism of nuclei with clumping of chromatin, and increase in the nuclear-cytoplasmic ratio). Carcinomas may be undifferentiated, or the neoplastic tissue may resemble to varying degrees one of the types of normal epithelium. Carcinomas can secrete a variety of hormonelike factors capable of inducing systemic (paraneoplastic) effects (for example, hypercalcemia, thrombophlebitis). The most common site of origin of carcinoma in both sexes is the skin; the second most common site in men is the prostate and in women the breast. However, the most frequently lethal carcinoma in both sexes is bronchogenic carcinoma.
Farlex Partner Medical Dictionary © Farlex 2012
carcinoma
(kär′sə-nō′mə)n. pl. carcino·mas or
carcino·mata (-mə-tə) An invasive malignant tumor derived from epithelial tissue that tends to metastasize to other areas of the body.
car′ci·no′ma·toid (-nō′mə-toid′) adj.
car′ci·nom′a·tous (-nŏm′ə-təs, -nō′mə-) adj.
The American Heritage® Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2007, 2004 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
carcinoma
Oncology A malignant neoplasm of epithelial and occasionally neuroepithelial origin; carcinomas are divided according to tissue of origin–eg, glands–adenoCA, squamous epithelium–SCC, and bladder epithelium–transitional cell carcinoma; carcinomas may metastasize to bone, liver, lung, brain. See Acinic cell carcinoma, Adenocarcinoma, Adrenocortical carcinoma, Anaplastic carcinoma, Anaplastic carcinoma of pancreas, Anaplastic carcinoma of thyroid, Basal cell carcinoma, Basaloid carcinoma, Carcinoma in situ, CASTLE, Chromophobe cell carcinoma, Clear cell carcinoma, Collecting duct carcinoma, Colloid carcinoma, Ductal carcinoma in situ, Duct cell carcinoma, Embryonal carcinoma, Endometrial carcinoma, Epithelial carcinoma, Epithelial-myoepithelial carcinoma, Fibrolamellar carcinoma, Follicular carcinoma, Giant cell carcinoma, Glassy cell carcinoma, Hürthle cell carcinoma, Inflammatory carcinoma, In situ carcinoma, Intraductal carcinoma, Intramucosal carcinoma, Juvenile carcinoma, Krebs' carcinoma, Large cell carcinoma, Large cell undifferentiated carcinoma of lung, Laryngeal carcinoma, Lobular carcinoma in situ, Medullary carcinoma, Merkel cell carcinoma, Microinvasive carcinoma, Minimal deviation adenocarcinoma of cervix, 'Murky cell' carcinoma, Nasopharyngeal carcinoma, Non-small cell carcinoma of lung, Oat cell carcinoma, Ovarian small cell carcinoma–hypercalcemic type, Pleomorphic carcinoma, Pleomorphic lobular carcinoma, Renal cell carcinoma, Sarcomatoid carcinoma, Scirrhous carcinoma, Secretory carcinoma, Small cell carcinoma, Spindle cell carcinoma, Squamous cell carcinoma, Stump carcinoma, Superficial spreading carcinoma, Terminal duct carcinoma, Transglottic carcinoma, Transitional cell carcinoma, Tubular carcinoma, Undifferentiated carcinoma, Verrucous carcinoma. Cf Cancer. McGraw-Hill Concise Dictionary of Modern Medicine. © 2002 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
car·ci·no·ma
(CA, Ca), pl. carcinomas, pl. carcinomata (kahr'si-nō'mă, -măz, -mă-tă) Any of the various types of malignant neoplasm derived from epithelial tissue, occurring more frequently in the skin and large intestine in both sexes, the lung and prostate gland in men, and the lung and breast in women. Carcinomas are identified histologically on the basis of invasiveness and the changes that indicate anaplasia, i.e., loss of polarity of nuclei, loss of orderly maturation of cells (especially in squamous cell type), variation in the size and shape of cells, hyperchromatism of nuclei (with clumping of chromatin), and increase in the nuclear-cytoplasmic ratio. Carcinomas may be undifferentiated, or the neoplastic tissue may resemble (to varying degrees) one of the types of normal epithelium.
[G. karkinōma, fr. karkinos, cancer, + -oma, tumor]
Medical Dictionary for the Health Professions and Nursing © Farlex 2012
carcinoma
Any CANCER of a surface layer (EPITHELIUM) of the body. Carcinomas are by far the commonest form of cancer and occur on any epithelium especially those of the glandular tissue of the breast, the skin (epidermis), the large bowel, the air tubes (bronchi) of the lungs, and the womb (uterus). Compare SARCOMA.Collins Dictionary of Medicine © Robert M. Youngson 2004, 2005
carcinoma
a malignant tumour of epithelial tissue. See CANCER.Collins Dictionary of Biology, 3rd ed. © W. G. Hale, V. A. Saunders, J. P. Margham 2005
carcinoma
A malignant tumour of the epithelium, the tissue that lines the skin and internal organs of the body. It tends to invade surrounding tissues and to metastasize to distant regions of the body via the lymphatic vessels or the blood vessels. It is a form of cancer.
Example: carcinoma of the skin.
See epithelioma;
seborrhoeic keratosis.
basal cell carcinoma (BCC) A slow growing tumour derived from the basal cells of the epidermis of the skin. It is mainly located on the head and neck and most commonly on the eyelids, especially the lower eyelid. Old people who have had extensive sun exposure are primarily affected. It appears, initially, as a raised nodule with a pearly surface with small, dilated blood vessels on its surface and it may eventually become ulcerated (rodent ulcer) and invade other tissues but rarely metastasizes. Treatment includes surgical excision or cryotherapy.
sebaceous gland carcinoma A malignant tumour arising from the meibomian glands or occasionally from the glands of Zeis. It frequently affects the upper eyelids of old people. Initially the tumour resembles a chalazion or a chronic blepharitis. However, this tumour is aggressive and may invade the orbit. It may metastasize. Treatment usually consists of thorough surgical excision.
See blepharitis;
chalazion.
squamous cell carcinoma A malignant skin cancer that affects the eyelids and conjunctiva. It is aggressive and may metastasize. It occurs most commonly in old people who have had extensive sun exposure. Treatment consists mainly of surgical excision.
See xeroderma pigmentosum.
Millodot: Dictionary of Optometry and Visual Science, 7th edition. © 2009 Butterworth-Heinemann
car·ci·no·ma
(CA), pl. carcinomas, pl. carcinomata (kahr'si-nō'mă, -măz, -mă-tă) Various types of malignant neoplasm derived from epithelial cells, chiefly glandular or squamous; most common type of cancer.
[G. karkinōma, fr. karkinos, cancer, + -oma, tumor]
Medical Dictionary for the Dental Professions © Farlex 2012
Patient discussion about carcinoma
Q. Can any one give me information about Carcinoma of the pancreas? What is the prognosis for carcinoma of the pancreas? I want to know as much as I can information on carcinoma of the pancreas.
A. I’m sorry to say that 95% people that have pancreatic carcinoma do not survive. Apparently the area around it and the pancreas itself is without sensory nerves. That means that when it starts to be painful – it’s much too late…this is a silent killer.
Sorry for the bad news…
Q. Do japanese in the US still have high risk of stomach cancer? I was born in the US to parents that emigrated from Japan when they were in their late twenties. I know that people in Japan have a very high risk of stomach cancer. Does that mean that as an individual of Japanese origin I also have high risk, although I never were in Japan?
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Q. what is the most accurate pathological test to identify the primary source of a cystic mass in the neck? the mass was removed. Pathologist was unable to identify the source and diagnosed the mass as a branchilogic carcinmoa (which is extremely rare, if exists at all). Therefore, I am looking for the most updated test and examinations that can be applied to blocks of the mass and determine their origin (primary source)
A. Pathologic examinaions under a microscope are the most accurate ones there are, and sometimes even they don't help to identify the cell types. I do not have any other ideas on other tests you can do, and I believe you should follow the treatment your doctors will advise you based on this diagnosis they have made.
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