carcinoma
Last reviewed 01/2018
A carcinoma is a malignant growth made up of epithelial cells tending to infiltrate surrounding tissues and to give rise to metastases. Any epithelial surface derived from any germ cell layer may give rise to a carcinoma.
Carcinomas may be further subdivided according to their pattern of growth. A glandular motif gives rise to an adenocarcinoma whereas simple squamous cells produce a squamous cell carcinoma. Sometimes it is impossible to state which subdivision a carcinoma falls into if it is very poorly differentiated.