Types of Cancer.
When we say types of cancer, we may either mean the various types of cancers that are seen like breast cancer, lung cancer, stomach cancer, etc or it can also mean the different types of cancers according to their pathological classification. Cancer is cancer but different tissues of the body are associated with different kinds of cancer which have their own pathological characteristics.
If we talk of type of cancer according to their site of origin, there would be more than 100 types of cancers to discuss, such as breast cancer, lung cancer, colorectal cancer, prostrate cancer, etc. It is not possible to describe them each in one article and need a separate article for each cancer. Here we will talk of the pathological classification of cancer and a short description of each type of cancer.
Types of Cancer.
1) Carcinoma.
Carcinoma is cancer which originates in the epithelial cells. Here the epithelial cells become cancerous and form a invasive growth which is called a carcinoma. Epithelial cells belong to the epithelial tissue which is one of the basic four body tissues, the others being connective tissue, muscle tissue and nervous tissue.
The epithelial tissue is present in
- the membranes that line the body cavities,
- on the surface of the structures in the body and
- in the glands of the body.
Carcinoma, being a growth of the epithelial tissues will be found where epithelial tissue is present.
Examples of carcinoma are:
- Squamous cell carcinoma is a malignancy of the squamous cells of the epithelium and is seen in various organs such as the skin, mouth, lips, esophagus, prostrate, urinary bladder, ovaries, cervix, vagina and the lungs.
- Basal cell carcinoma occurs in the basal cells of the epithelial tissue. It is a common skin cancer occurring on parts of the skin that are exposed to sunlight.
- Adenocarcinoma is cancer of the glands.
2) Leukemia.
Leukemia is blood cancer where the origin of malignancy is in the bone marrow. Bone marrow is a soft tissue which is found in the interior of the bones. The bone marrow in large bones serves the function of producing blood cells such as the red blood cells, platelets and the white blood cells.
Leukemia is characterized by a very abnormal increase in the white blood cells in the blood. The normal WBC count is 4000 to 1000 per microliter of blood. In leukemia this WBC count is seen in lacs, while the platelet count drops. These WBCs seen in leukemia are immature and dysfunctional thereby adversely affecting the immune system.
Leukemia may be acute or chronic depending on a rapid increase or slow sustained increase in the WBCs.
3) Sarcoma.
Just as carcinoma is cancer of the epithelial tissue, sarcoma is the cancer of the connective tissue. Connective tissue is found in a number of structures such as the
- tendons,
- blood vessels,
- bone,
- cartilage,
- lymphatic tissue, and
- adipose tissue or fat.
Examples of Sarcoma.
- Osteosarcoma of the bone.
- Liposarcoma of the adipose tissue.
- Angiosarcoma of the lining of blood vessels.
- Synovial sarcoma is among the rare types of cancer found in the synovial tissue of tendons, or in bursae (synovial fluid filled sac found between bones in a joint and between tendons and/or muscles to allow free movement) or in the cavities that separate the bones in the joints.
- Fibrosarcoma is a sarcoma of the fibroblasts which are cells that produce connective tissue. Typically seen around bones and in soft tissue.
4) Cancer of the central nervous system.
These are types of cancers that originate in nervous tissue and seen in the brain and the spinal cord.
Examples:
- Tumors of the brain such as Gliomas, Astrocytomas, Ependymoma,
- Meningiomas of the meninges (lining covering the brain),
- Pituitary Adenomas of the pituitary gland and
- Spinal cord tumors.
5) Lymphoma.
Lymphoma is cancer of the immune system where the lymphocyte cells of the lymphatic system get involved. The lymphatic system forms part of the immune system.
Examples of Lymphomas:
- Lymphomas,
- Hodgkin Lymphomas.
6) Myeloma.
Myeloma is cancer of the plasma cells. Since the plasma cells reside in the bone marrow of the large bones, myelomas are found there.
Examples of Myelomas.
- Plasmocytoma. When myeloma occurs only in one site, it is called plasmocytoma.
- Multiplemyeloma. When it occurs at multiple sites, it is called multiple myeloma.
7) Metastatic Cancer.
You could read about this cancer in this link: metastasis.
Summary.
- Types of Cancer explained above explain the different types of cancer according to the site of origin of cancer in the various tissues of the body.
- Examples of cancer with each type of cancer are also given.
- The general signs and symptoms of cancer may be almost the same, but early warning signs of cancer do vary according to the type of cancer.
- Causes of cancer for each type of cancer are explained in brief in the link provided.
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