Carcinoma Definition

Carcinoma is a type of cancer, or malignant tumor, that forms in the skin and organ linings. Carcinomas are commonly found in the skin, lungs, breast, colon, liver, prostate and stomach. Carcinoma cells are known to spread to other organs through lymph nodes, which is called metastasizing. These cancer cells are normally named after their source of origin or the organ where they exist. There are different kinds of tumors associated with carcinoma cells such as anaplastic tumors and adenocarcinomas.

Diagnosis

• There are several ways to test for a carcinoma. The test your doctor chooses will depend on the location of the suspected cancer cells. Most often these cancers are diagnosed by different kinds of biopsies including fine-needle aspiration and/or removing a portion of the suspected tumor. Once the cancer is found, it will be staged and graded. The staging of a tumor tells how much it has spread and grading determines how different the tissue is now from the surrounding tissue or starting tissue.

Symptoms

• Carcinoma symptoms will vary greatly depending on the location of the tumor. Some individuals show signs of symptoms at early stages, while others develop symptoms after the cancer has spread. Some symptoms common to many cancers are chills, malaise, loss of appetite, tiredness and weight changes.

Treatment

• Treatment will also vary by the type and location of the tumor and/or carcinoma cells. Most often and most traditionally, chemotherapy and radiation treatment is used in addition to surgical removal. Treatment will also depend greatly on the stage of carcinoma, as sometimes treatment will not result in cure, but can improve the symptoms of the cancer.

Skin Carcinomas

• Skin cancers are common carcinomas. Basal cell carcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma are the most common types seen in humans. Basal cell carcinomas account for 90 percent of all the skin cancer in the United States. It hasn't been shown to metastasize to other organs but can grow to affect a large area of tissue. Most patients with these cancers are over the age of 50 and have had significant sun exposure or ultraviolet light exposure. Squamous cell carcinoma is also heavily linked to sun exposure and is more dangerous than basal cell carcinomas because it does spread.

Lung Carcinomas

• Lung carcinomas are one of the leading causes of cancer-related deaths, and 85 percent are caused by cigarette smoking. The rise of this disease is very concerning as it is difficult to fight and metastasizes aggressively. In almost half of patients with lung cancer, it has already spread to other organs at the time of diagnosis.