Epithelioma is an
abnormal growth of the
epithelium
Epithelium or epithelial tissue is one of the four basic types of animal tissue, along with connective tissue, muscle tissue and nervous tissue. It is a thin, continuous, protective layer of compactly packed cells with a little intercellul ...
, which is the layer of tissue that covers the surfaces of organs and other structures of the body.
Classification
Epitheliomas can be
benign growths
A benign tumor is a mass of cells (tumor) that does not invade neighboring tissue or metastasize (spread throughout the body). Compared to malignant (cancerous) tumors, benign tumors generally have a slower growth rate. Benign tumors have rel ...
or
malignant carcinomas. They are classified according to the specific type of epithelial cells that are affected.
The most common epitheliomas are
basal cell carcinoma
Basal-cell carcinoma (BCC), also known as basal-cell cancer, is the most common type of skin cancer. It often appears as a painless raised area of skin, which may be shiny with small blood vessels running over it. It may also present as a raise ...
and
squamous cell carcinoma
Squamous-cell carcinomas (SCCs), also known as epidermoid carcinomas, comprise a number of different types of cancer that begin in squamous cells. These cells form on the surface of the skin, on the lining of hollow organs in the body, and on the ...
(skin cancers).
Treatment
Treatment usually involves
surgically
Surgery ''cheirourgikē'' (composed of χείρ, "hand", and ἔργον, "work"), via la, chirurgiae, meaning "hand work". is a medical specialty that uses operative manual and instrumental techniques on a person to investigate or treat a pa ...
removing the tumor and affected tissue. Also used is
cryosurgery
Cryosurgery is the use of extreme cold in surgery to destroy abnormal or diseased tissue; thus, it is the surgical application of cryoablation. The term comes from the Greek words cryo (κρύο) ("icy cold") and surgery (''cheirourgiki'' – χ ...
and
radiotherapy
Radiation therapy or radiotherapy, often abbreviated RT, RTx, or XRT, is a therapy using ionizing radiation, generally provided as part of cancer treatment to control or kill malignant cells and normally delivered by a linear accelerator. Radia ...
.
Prognosis
The prognosis varies dramatically, depending on the type and stage at the time of treatment. However, the most common epitheliomas are very easily treated and rarely result in death.
The condition did, however, take the life of Scottish golfer
Willie Dunn, Sr.
Willie Dunn Sr. (19 August 1821 – 14 February 1878) was a Scottish professional golfer who played during the mid-to-late 19th century. He was born in Musselburgh, Musselburgh, Scotland, in 1821 and died there. Dunn had three top-10 finishes in ...
in 1878 at a time when the ailment was likely not fully understood.
See also
*
Mule spinners' cancer
Mule spinners' cancer or mule-spinners' cancer was a cancer, an epithelioma of the scrotum. It was first reported in 1887 in a cotton mule spinner. In 1926, a British Home Office committee strongly favoured the view that this form of cancer was ...
References
External links
{{Commons category
Glandular and epithelial neoplasia