Canadian Medical Guide > Diseases > Neoplasms > Neoplasms by Histologic Type > Neoplasms, Glandular and Epithelial > Carcinoma Terms and Definitions

Carcinoma

Medical Definition:	A malignant neoplasm made up of epithelial cells tending to infiltrate the surrounding tissues and give rise to metastases. It is a histological type of neoplasm but is often wrongly used as a synonym for "cancer." (From Dorland, 27th ed)
Guide Notes:	do not use for "cancer" routinely: use only for carcinoma as a histological type: Manual 24.2.1.3; /blood supply /chem /second /secret /ultrastruct permitted; coord IM with precoord organ/neopl term (IM); X ref CARCINOMA, ANAPLASTIC: do not coord with ANA
Also Called:	Carcinoma, Anaplastic,Carcinoma, Spindle-Cell,Carcinoma, Undifferentiated,Carcinomatosis

Carcinoma Categories.

	Adenocarcinoma - A malignant epithelial tumor with a glandular organization.
	Carcinoma in Situ - A lesion with cytological characteristics associated with invasive carcinoma but the tumor cells are confined to the epithelium of origin, without invasion of the basement membrane.
	Carcinoma, Basal Cell - A malignant skin neoplasm that seldom metastasizes but has potentialities for local invasion and destruction. Clinically it is divided into types: nodular, cicatricial, morphaic, and erythematoid (pagetoid). More than 95% of these carcinomas occur in patients over 40. They develop on hair-bearing skin, most commonly on sun-exposed areas. Approximately 85% are found on the head and neck area and the remaining 15% on the trunk and limbs. (From Dorland, 27th ed; DeVita Jr et al., Cancer: Principles & Practice of Oncology, 3d ed, p1471)
	Carcinoma, Basosquamous - A skin carcinoma that histologically exhibits both basal and squamous elements. (From Dorland, 27th ed)
	Carcinoma, Ehrlich Tumor - A transplantable, poorly differentiated malignant tumor which appeared originally as a spontaneous breast carcinoma in a mouse. It grows in both solid and ascitic forms.
	Carcinoma, Giant Cell - An epithelial neoplasm characterized by unusually large anaplastic cells. It is highly malignant with fulminant clinical course, bizarre histologic appearance and poor prognosis. It is most common in the lung and thyroid. (From Stedman, 25th ed & Segen, Dictionary of Modern Medicine, 1992)
	Carcinoma, Krebs 2
	Carcinoma, Large Cell - A tumor of undifferentiated (anaplastic) cells of large size. It is usually bronchogenic. (From Dorland, 27th ed)
	Carcinoma, Lewis Lung - A carcinoma discovered by Dr. Margaret R. Lewis of the Wistar Institute in 1951. This tumor originated spontaneously as a carcinoma of the lung of a C57BL mouse. The tumor does not appear to be grossly hemorrhagic and the majority of the tumor tissue is a semifirm homogeneous mass. (From Cancer Chemother Rep 2 1972 Nov;(3)1:325) It is also called 3LL and LLC and is used as a transplantable malignancy.
	Carcinoma, Non-Small-Cell Lung - A heterogeneous aggregate of at least three distinct histological types of lung cancer, including squamous cell carcinoma, adenocarcinoma, and large cell carcinoma. They are dealt with collectively because of the shared properties of poor response to conventional chemotherapy and the potential for cure with surgical resection in a fraction of patients.
	Carcinoma, Papillary - A malignant neoplasm characterized by the formation of numerous, irregular, finger-like projections of fibrous stroma that is covered with a surface layer of neoplastic epithelial cells. (Stedman, 25th ed)
	Carcinoma, Squamous Cell - A carcinoma derived from stratified squamous epithelium. It may also occur in sites where glandular or columnar epithelium is normally present. (From Stedman, 25th ed)
	Carcinoma, Transitional Cell - A malignant neoplasm derived from transitional epithelium, occurring chiefly in the urinary bladder, ureters or renal pelves (especially if well differentiated), frequently papillary. Transitional cell carcinomas are graded 1 to 3 or 4 according to the degree of anaplasia, grade 1 appearing histologically benign but being liable to recurrence. (Stedman, 25th ed)
	Carcinoma, Verrucous - A variant of well-differentiated epidermoid carcinoma that is most common in the oral cavity, but also occurs in the larynx, nasal cavity, esophagus, penis, anorectal region, vulva, vagina, uterine cervix, and skin, especially on the sole of the foot. Most intraoral cases occur in elderly male abusers of smokeless tobacco. The treatment is surgical resection. Radiotherapy is not indicated, as up to 30% treated with radiation become highly aggressive within six months. (Segen, Dictionary of Modern Medicine, 1992)

Carcinoma Medical Definitions and Terms

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