von: Eder Herbert April 18, 2023

What are carcinomas?

The term "carcinoma" comes from the Latin word "carcinoma" and means "cancer". Accordingly, a carcinoma is a malignant (malignant) disease that develops from the mucous membrane cells (epithelial cells) and does not only have to be localised to the site of origin, but can also spread to other parts of the body through metastasis.

Degree of development and pathohistology of a carcinoma

Carcinomas are differentiated according to their degree of expression and their pathohistology. The latter refers to the morphology of the tumour tissue, such as the tumour size, which can be divided into small-cell and large-cell carcinomas. In addition, physicians distinguish between squamous cell carcinoma and adenocarcinoma with regard to pathohistology. With regard to the degrees of expression of a carcinoma, the following three different stages are to be mentioned:

Carcinoma in situ (CIS): This is a malignant tumour in the early stage, which is still confined to the tissue layer and has not yet metastasised to the surrounding tissue or other parts of the body. It is therefore not an invasive growing tumour.
Invasive carcinoma: is a form of tumour that has spread beyond the primary tissue layer to the surrounding tissue. The term "invasive carcinoma" covers all cancers that have already metastasised to the neighbouring tissue.
Metastatic carcinoma: This is a term used by doctors to describe a tumour that has already metastasised to tissue and/or organs throughout the body.

What types of carcinoma are there?

Carcinomas can occur in many parts of the body. The types of carcinoma listed here are some of the most common types of cancer:

Anal carcinoma: is a malignant tumour of the anal canal and is rare compared to colon cancer. Anal carcinoma can be caused by certain venereal diseases and/or chronic infections.
Basal cell carcinoma (BCC): is one of the most common types of cancer and belongs to the white skin cancer. In rather rare cases, this type of cancer spreads metastases and is therefore considered a semi-malignant disease.
Bronchial carcinoma: is a malignant cancer of the airways and is favoured in its development by cigarette smoke and possible occupational exposure to dust.
Endometrial carcinoma: malignant cancer originating in the inner mucous membrane of the uterus. Endometrial carcinoma is one of the most common malignant cancers that can affect the female genital tract.
Gallbladder carcinoma (GBC): is one of the most common and aggressive forms of bile duct cancer. Gallbladder carcinoma originates in the gallbladder and quickly metastasises, for example to the lymph nodes.
Urinary bladder carcinoma: is also colloquially called bladder cancer and originates from the mucous membrane of the urinary tract (urothelium). Many patients therefore also suffer from urothelial carcinoma.
Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC): refers to a malignant cancer of the liver that originates from the liver cells. Before hepatocellular carcinoma develops, patients usually suffer from chronic liver cell damage.
Testicular carcinoma: a malignant tumour that affects the testicles. Men between the ages of 20 and 40 in particular often suffer from testicular carcinoma.
Colorectal carcinoma (CRC): this malignant cancer arises from epithelial dysplasia. Colorectal carcinoma is locally infiltrative and potentially metastatic. Both a genetic predisposition and exogenous causes can contribute to the development of colorectal carcinoma.
Laryngeal carcinoma: is also known colloquially as cancer of the larynx and is one of the most common malignant tumour diseases in the throat area, which mainly affects men.
Gastric carcinoma: is a malignant cancer of the stomach and is usually caused by gastric juice-producing gland cells. An above-average number of older people over the age of 50 are diagnosed with stomach cancer.
Mammary carcinoma: is also colloquially called breast cancer. It is the most common, although not the most dangerous, cancer in women.
Renal cell carcinoma: is one of the most common malignant tumours, usually occurring in adults. Renal cell carcinoma usually grows as a single tumour in the kidney.
Oesophageal cancer: is more commonly known as oesophageal cancer, which can develop anywhere in the oesophagus.
Ovarian carcinoma: is also colloquially called ovarian cancer and describes a malignant tumour of the ovaries, which mainly affects women after the menopause. Ovarian carcinoma is usually only discovered at a late stage of the cancer, for example when the tumour has reached the abdominal cavity.
Pancreatic carcinoma: the so-called pancreatic cancer is one of the deadliest malignant tumour diseases and affects the pancreas.
Pharyngeal carcinoma: this is a malignant tumour formation in the throat area. Pharyngeal carcinoma belongs to the superordinate group of head and neck tumours.
Squamous cell carcinoma: is the second most common malignant skin tumour after basal cell carcinoma and is also colloquially called prickle cell carcinoma. As with basal cell carcinoma, squamous cell carcinoma very rarely forms metastases (in only 5 percent of all cases). However, squamous cell carcinoma tends to spread and grow quickly.
Prostate carcinoma: is one of the most common cancers in men. A prostate carcinoma, which is located in the prostate gland, does not cause any symptoms, especially in the early stages, which is why it is usually discovered late.
Thyroid carcinoma: describes a malignant cancer of the thyroid gland that results from the degeneration of cells in the organ. The tumour tissue spreads and displaces the healthy tissue.
Cervical carcinoma: is also called cervical cancer and refers to a malignant (malignant) tumour of the cervix uteri. Cervical carcinoma is the fourth most common malignant tumour in women worldwide.
Tongue carcinoma: belongs to the group of head and neck tumours and occurs rather rarely. A carcinoma of the tongue spreads mainly in the back third of the tongue and can more rarely also affect the front part of the tongue and/or the undersurface of the tongue. If a tongue carcinoma is detected at an early stage of the cancer, the chances of a cure are good.

What are the causes of carcinoma?

Doctors have identified the following risk factors that favour the development of carcinoma. They also believe that about 40 percent of all cancers can be prevented by avoiding these risk factors.

Alcohol and tobacco consumption
lack of physical activity
Being overweight or obese
high-sugar diet or frequent consumption of red meat
heavy exposure to UV radiation or other forms of radiation
Pre-existing conditions with certain viruses and/or infections (oncoviruses)

Vaccinations and a healthy lifestyle can also prevent the development of carcinoma.

How can carcinoma be diagnosed early?

Some types of carcinoma can be diagnosed in time through early detection or screening examinations. For this purpose, the doctor can, for example, carry out a physical examination in which the patient is palpated for lumps. They also look for abnormalities, such as changes in skin colour or enlargement of an organ. Furthermore, laboratory tests such as urine and blood tests can be informative in order to detect these abnormalities more easily. Leukaemia, for example, can be detected by a complete blood count. In this case, the white blood cells will appear in an unusual number or type.

How is carcinoma treated?

There are different treatment options for cancer. Which treatment is used will probably always depend on the type of carcinoma, but also on its size, its stage and, last but not least, the patient's general state of health. As primary treatment options, the doctor will always try to remove the tumour completely by surgery, if possible. If a complete removal of the carcinoma is not possible, chemotherapy or radiotherapy is used to kill all remaining cancer cells or to prevent a new growth.