Naming of Tumors 1999.1.13

Naming of Tumors 1999.1.13

There are four ways to name malignant tumors: ① tumors originating from epithelial tissue are called carcinomas; ② tumors originating from mesenchymal tissue are called sarcomas; ③ tumors originating from fibrous tissue are called blastomas. Certain malignant tumors are often prefixed with the word "malignant," such as malignant lymphoma, malignant mixed tumor, and malignant teratoma. Conventionally, all malignant tumors are also referred to as carcinomas. Epithelial tissue, embryologically speaking, refers to the ectoderm; all squamous cell carcinomas and adenocarcinomas (including basal cell carcinoma and transitional cell carcinoma) belong to this category. Mesenchymal tissue refers to the mesoderm.