Cancer Classification

Cancers are classiIied in two ways: by the type oI tissue in which the cancer originates
(histological type) and by primary site, or the location in the body where the cancer Iirst
developed. This section introduces you to the Iirst method: cancer classiIication based on
histological type. The international standard Ior the classiIication and nomenclature oI
histologies is the International ClassiIication oI Diseases Ior Oncology, Third Edition (ICD-
O-3).
From a histological standpoint there are hundreds oI diIIerent cancers, which are grouped into
six major categories:
O Carcinoma
O $arcoma
O yeloma
O eukemia
O ymphoma
O ixed Types
Carcinoma
Carcinoma reIers to a malignant neoplasm oI epithelial origin or cancer oI the internal or
external lining oI the body. Carcinomas, malignancies oI epithelial tissue, account Ior 80 to
90 percent oI all cancer cases.
Epithelial tissue is Iound throughout the body. It is present in the skin, as well as the covering
and lining oI organs and internal passageways, such as the gastrointestinal tract.
Carcinomas are divided into two major subtypes: adenocarcinoma, which develops in an
organ or gland, and squamous cell carcinoma, which originates in the squamous epithelium.
Adenocarcinomas generally occur in mucus membranes and are Iirst seen as a thickened
plaque-like white mucosa. They oIten spread easily through the soIt tissue where they occur.
$quamous cell carcinomas occur in many areas oI the body.
ost carcinomas aIIect organs or glands capable oI secretion, such as the breasts, which
produce milk, or the lungs, which secrete mucus, or colon or prostate or bladder.
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Sarcoma
$arcoma reIers to cancer that originates in supportive and connective tissues such as bones,
tendons, cartilage, muscle, and Iat. Generally occurring in young adults, the most common
sarcoma oIten develops as a painIul mass on the bone. $arcoma tumors usually resemble the
tissue in which they grow.
Examples oI sarcomas are:
O Osteosarcoma or osteogenic sarcoma (bone)
O Chondrosarcoma (cartilage)
O eiomyosarcoma (smooth muscle)
O Rhabdomyosarcoma (skeletal muscle)
O esothelial sarcoma or mesothelioma (membranous lining oI body cavities)
O Fibrosarcoma (Iibrous tissue)
O Angiosarcoma or hemangioendothelioma (blood vessels)
O iposarcoma (adipose tissue)
O Glioma or astrocytoma (neurogenic connective tissue Iound in the brain)
O yxosarcoma (primitive embryonic connective tissue)
O esenchymous or mixed mesodermal tumor (mixed connective tissue types)
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eloma
yeloma is cancer that originates in the plasma cells oI bone marrow. The plasma cells
produce some oI the proteins Iound in blood.
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Leukemia
eukemias ("liquid cancers" or "blood cancers") are cancers oI the bone marrow (the site oI
blood cell production). The word leukemia means "white blood" in Greek. The disease is
oIten associated with the overproduction oI immature white blood cells. These immature
white blood cells do not perIorm as well as they should, thereIore the patient is oIten prone to
inIection. eukemia also aIIects red blood cells and can cause poor blood clotting and Iatigue
due to anemia. Examples oI leukemia include:
O yelogenous or granulocytic leukemia (malignancy oI the myeloid and granulocytic
white blood cell series)
O ymphatic, lymphocytic, or lymphoblastic leukemia (malignancy oI the lymphoid and
lymphocytic blood cell series)
O !olycythemia vera or erythremia (malignancy oI various blood cell products, but with
red cells predominating)
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Lmphoma
ymphomas develop in the glands or nodes oI the lymphatic system, a network oI vessels,
nodes, and organs (speciIically the spleen, tonsils, and thymus) that puriIy bodily Iluids and
produce inIection-Iighting white blood cells, or lymphocytes. Unlike the leukemias which are
sometimes called "liquid cancers," lymphomas are "solid cancers." ymphomas may also
occur in speciIic organs such as the stomach, breast or brain. These lymphomas are reIerred
to as extranodal lymphomas. The lymphomas are subclassiIied into two categories: Hodgkin
lymphoma and Non-Hodgkin lymphoma. The presence oI Reed-$ternberg cells in Hodgkin
lymphoma diagnostically distinguishes Hodgkin lymphoma Irom Non-Hodgkin lymphoma.
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ixed Tpes
The type components may be within one category or Irom diIIerent categories. $ome
examples are:
O adenosquamous carcinoma
O mixed mesodermal tumor
O carcinosarcoma
O teratocarcinoma