What is carcinoma?
What is carcinoma?
Introduction
Carcinomas are one of the common kinds of cancers. It starts in the tissues of your skin or on the outer linings of organs like kidneys or liver. It manifests as two (2) distinctive sub-types – 1. Squamous cell carcinoma and 2. Adenocarcinoma. Of these, squamous cell carcinoma shows up on cell-linings of arteries, veins as well as body cavities. Adenocarcinoma occurs on mucus of your internal organs or glands.
If carcinoma spreads to other organs and tissues, it is called metastatic carcinoma. This is not to be mistaken with metastatic cancers, as not all carcinomas are cancers. Carcinomas are known to occur in several parts of your body. Of the many types, basal cell carcinoma is the most prevalent type. Here, cancer cells show–up on basal cell layers of your skin. This basal zone is often dubbed as the lower-most layer of your skin. Such cancers grow, and seldom spread over to other organs or adjoining lymph–nodes.
The second-most commonly occurring skin cancer is squamous cell carcinoma. This form of cancer also grows in a gradual manner, and rarely spreads to other sites. However, this type of cancer is more-likely to attack fatty-tissues underneath your skin.
Renal cell carcinoma is a common form of cancer that occurs in kidneys. It forms on the linings of tubules – the finer tubes present in your kidneys. It can occur either in one of your kidneys or on both. If left untreated, renal cell carcinoma can multiply as a mass and cause blockages in your renal system.
Ductal carcinoma in situ – this is one of the common forms of cancer affecting the breast region. This cancer forms on the linings of milk ducts. Cells however may not reach nearby tissues by breaching the walls of these ducts.
Carcinoma in situ
Carcinoma in situ is also labelled as cancer at stage 0. This condition refers to the presence of cancerous cells at the site where it had started. In other words, carcinoma in situ is the earliest / foremost stage of cancer growth.
In medical parlance, it is also called as the non-invasive stage. In other words, stages 1 through 4 are invasive by nature; in all these stages, cells breach the base-membrane of affected tissues. Cancers detected at stage 0 are theoretically 100% healable. You also need to remember that not all forms of cancer have a stage called carcinoma in situ.
The common forms of cancers pass through a stage called carcinoma in situ are lung cancers, cervical cancer, skin cancers, breast cancer and cancers in your bladder. A few physicians prefer labelling carcinoma in situ as the pre-cancer stage. It is rather difficult to predict if carcinoma in situ will eventually turn into an invasive condition.
Carcinoma in situ is typically treated via surgical interventions. Nature of your surgical procedures depends upon the affected site, age of the patient – amid other things. Other forms of treatments – apart from surgeries – are also used to treat carcinoma in situ. For instance, pre-cancer stage of certain kinds of skin cancers are treated through topical chemotherapy
Causes of carcinoma
Most forms of carcinoma develop due to a mutation in cellular-level DNA. Causes for basal cell carcinoma include excessive exposure to sun’s rays- especially, on your neck and head regions. However, there are instances wherein this form of carcinoma has developed on organs that are not exposed to sun’s rays. People who underwent radiation treatment for treating skin conditions like acne are at an added risk of developing basal cell carcinoma. People who take medicines to suppress their immunity cells – these drugs are called as immunosuppressants, may also witness this type of carcinoma.
Causes of squamous cell carcinoma: The likely causes for squamous cell carcinoma are prior history of skin problems as well as skin cancers among close family members and having an excessively fair skin or being exposed to sunlight more often. This form of carcinoma takes several decades to show-up. So, those aged above 60 years are at an enhanced level of risk to get squamous cell carcinoma.
Causes of renal cell carcinoma – Here, the causes are living with an elevated level of blood pressure, leading a sedentary lifestyle and a prior history of kidney-based cancers. At times, being exposed to toxic and inorganic chemicals can also trigger risks of this autoimmune condition.
Causes of ductal carcinoma: Those with a denser breast, premature start of menstrual cycles and women who have a Body Mass Index (BMI) of more than 27 are more vulnerable. You are advised to pursue a regulated diet and workout daily to keep obesity at bay.
Causes of invasive ductal carcinoma: The causes for this condition are the same as those listed under ductal carcinoma. This condition can be treated with surgical procedures like mastectomy, radiation treatment and chemotherapy.
Causes of adenocarcinoma include excessive intake of alcohol, taking an unbalanced diet, being overweight or obese, smoking of tobacco-based products like cigars, pipes and presence of family record of such carcinoma, etc.
Carcinoma symptoms
Symptoms of carcinoma vary from one type to another. In case of basal cell carcinoma, the most common symptoms are: wounds that take time to heal or sores that simply do not get cured at all, formation of darkened patches on your skin, shiny lumps or small-sized bumps, etc.
Risk factors of basal cell carcinoma are: a compromised immunity system, excessive exposure to sun’s rays, prior incidence of cancers on skin among family members / blood–relatives, etc.
Squamous cell carcinoma: Symptoms of this type of carcinoma are scaly patches on skin, wounds with elevated borders, formation of warts, scars, etc. Risk factors of squamous cell carcinoma include aging especially, those above 50 years, onset of Human Papilloma Virus, those with a fair skin and a weakened immunity.
Renal cell Carcinoma (RCC): Symptoms of RCC are an inexplicable loss of body weight, formation of lumps in your abdominal tract, traces of blood in your urine, a marked drop in appetite level, blood–based disorders like anemia and body pain.
Risk factors linked to incidence of RCC are: being obese or overweight, chronic spells of high blood pressure, incessant smoking of tobacco products, prior incidents of renal cancers among family members, etc. In some cases, being exposed to degreasing solvents like trichloroethylene – in short, TCE, may also trigger it.
Ductal carcinoma: One of the earliest stages of breast cancers is ductal carcinoma in situ. This condition shows up on the cell-linings of milk-ducts. Symptoms include formation of small-sized lumps on breasts coupled with an uncommon discharge.
In most cases, ductal carcinoma occurs without any palpable signs. Owing to this, physicians rely on mammographic procedures to diagnose its incidence. Risk factors of ductal carcinoma: People who were obese, genetic factors and early start of menstruation are the typical risk factors.
These signs vary from invasive ductal carcinoma to a large extent. Typical signs of invasive ductal carcinoma are darkening of your skin, formation of lumps in armpits, inflammation of skin, lumps on breasts, etc.
Symptoms of adenocarcinoma: Symptoms vary based on the category of adenocarcinoma. In case of lung cancers, you tend to cough a lot, experience pains in your chest, and respiratory disorders like gasping or wheezing.
In case of pancreatic cancers, you are likely to witness lower back ache, pain in your tummy, discharge of dark-colored urine, a sudden lose of weight and incidence of jaundice. For colon cancers, you may experience traces of blood in your stools, altered movements of bowel and pain in your stomach.
Carcinoma is diagnosed by employing different types of diagnostic techniques. Most common among them is lab testing. Here, samples of blood or urine are collected. These are checked for the presence of tumor-markers. In most cases, lab testing alone cannot reveal the incidence of cancers; your caregiving team may need an added number of tests to confirm your medical condition.
Imaging scans and radiology-based tests are widely used. Your doctor may order X-ray, CT scan or an MRI scan to ascertain the presence of a tumor. Imaging sciences have a few limitations; though they can confirm the presence of a tumor, they cannot tell if the tumor is benign one or malignant.
Biopsies are often ordered to know if a lump is a tumor, is it benign or a malignant one. This test involves taking a sample of your tissue. This test can also be done with a sample of fluids from a swollen lymph node. In some cases, a portion of skin – off from a mole – is removed for such tests.
Your medical team will conduct several tests on the tissue. These tests help conclude the presence of carcinoma and / or cancer cells in the tissue sample collected from your system
Dr. Rajasekar is a cardiologist in Chennai, with extensive experience in the field. He completed his MBBS from Madurai Kamaraj University, followed by an MD in General Medicine and a DM in Cardiology from The Tamil Nadu Dr. M.G.R. Medical University (TNMGRMU).