MyPathologyReport
November 28, 2023
The term carcinoma describes a group of cancers that start from epithelial cells, specialized cells covering an organ’s outside and inside surfaces. This type of cancer can start in any location where epithelial cells are normally found including the skin, breast, lungs, oral cavity, esophagus, stomach, colon, prostate, bladder, ovary, uterus, and cervix. As a group, carcinomas are the most common type of human cancer.
Types of carcinomas include:
The cause of a carcinoma depends on many factors including the carcinoma subtype and the location of the tumour. For example, most carcinomas in the lungs are caused by smoking while most carcinomas in the cervix are commonly caused by infection with human papillomavirus (HPV).
No. Carcinoma is a type of cancer but not all cancers are carcinomas. Other types of cancers include lymphoma, melanoma, and sarcoma.
Doctors wrote this article to assist you in reading and comprehending your pathology report. Feel free to reach out to us with any questions about this article or your pathology report. To get a comprehensive introduction to your pathology report, read this article.