car·ci·no·ma / ˌkärsəˈnōmə/ • n. (pl. -no·mas or -no·ma·ta / -ˈnōmətə/ ) a cancer arising in the epithelial tissue of the skin or of the lining of the internal organs.DERIVATIVES: car·ci·no·ma·tous / -ˈnōmətəs/ adj.

carcinoma Form of cancer arising from the epithelial cells present in skin and the membranes lining the internal organs. It is a malignant growth that can invade surrounding tissues, giving rise to metastases (secondary cancers). See also melanoma; sarcoma

carcinoma (kar-sin-oh-mă) n. cancer that arises in epithelium, the tissue that lines the skin and internal organs of the body. It may occur in any tissue containing epithelial cells. Organs may exhibit more than one type of carcinoma; for example, an adenocarcinoma and a squamous carcinoma may be found in the cervix (but not usually concurrently).
—carcinomatous adj.

Carcinoma

Definition

A malignant tumor that arises from epithelial cells, which line the internal and external surfaces of the body. Carcinomas are most commonly found in the lining of body organs, such as the breast, prostate, lung, stomach, or bowel. Most human cancers are carcinomas.

See Also Carcinoma of Unknown Primary

Kate Kretschmann

carcinoma XVIII. — L. — Gr. karkínōma, f. karkínos crab; cf. CANCER.