Types
Oral: Most oral cancers are squamous-cell carcinoma
Lung: Carcinoma comprises >98% of all lung cancers.
Breast: Nearly all breast cancers are ductal carcinoma.
Prostate: The most common form of carcinoma of the prostate is adenocarcinoma.
Colon and rectum: Nearly all malignancies of the colon and rectum are either adenocarcinoma or squamous cell carcinoma.
Pancreas: Pancreatic carcinoma is almost always of the adenocarcinoma type and is highly lethal.
Ovaries: One of the most deadly forms due to late detection.[19]
Some carcinomas are named for their or the putative cell of origin, (e.g.hepatocellular carcinoma, renal cell carcinoma).
Historical Types
Adenocarcinoma (adeno = gland) – Refers to a carcinoma featuring microscopic glandular-related tissue cytology, tissue architecture, and/or gland-related molecular products, e.g., mucin.
Squamous cell carcinoma – Refers to a carcinoma with observable features and characteristics indicative of squamous differentiation (intercellular bridges, keratinization, squamous pearls).
Adenosquamous carcinoma – Refers to a mixed tumor containing both adenocarcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma, wherein each of these cell types comprise at least 10% of the tumor volume.
Anaplastic carcinoma – Refers to a heterogeneous group of high-grade carcinomas that feature cells lacking distinct histological or cytological evidence of any of the more specifically differentiated neoplasms. These tumors are referred to as anaplastic or undifferentiated carcinomas.
Large cell carcinoma – Composed of large, monotonous rounded or overtly polygonal-shaped cells with abundant cytoplasm.
Small cell carcinoma – Cells are usually round and are less than approximately 3 times the diameter of a resting lymphocyte and with little evident cytoplasm. Occasionally, small cell malignancies may themselves have significant components of slightly polygonal and/or spindle-shaped cells.
Causes
A history of cigarette smoking is the most common cause of large cell carcinoma.
