Anaplastic carcinoma is a general term for a

malignant neoplasm Malignancy () is the tendency of a medical condition to become progressively worse; the term is most familiar as a characterization of cancer. A ''malignant'' tumor contrasts with a non-cancerous benign tumor, ''benign'' tumor in that a malig ...

arising from the uncontrolled proliferation of transformed cells of

epithelial Epithelium or epithelial tissue is a thin, continuous, protective layer of cells with little extracellular matrix. An example is the epidermis, the outermost layer of the skin. Epithelial ( mesothelial) tissues line the outer surfaces of man ...

origin, or showing some epithelial characteristics, but that reveal no cytological or architectural features associated with more differentiated

tumor A neoplasm () is a type of abnormal and excessive growth of tissue. The process that occurs to form or produce a neoplasm is called neoplasia. The growth of a neoplasm is uncoordinated with that of the normal surrounding tissue, and persists ...

s, such as the glandular formation or special cellular junctions that are typical of

adenocarcinoma Adenocarcinoma (; plural adenocarcinomas or adenocarcinomata ; AC) is a type of cancerous tumor that can occur in several parts of the body. It is defined as neoplasia of epithelial tissue that has glandular origin, glandular characteristics, or ...

and

squamous cell carcinoma Squamous-cell carcinoma (SCC), also known as epidermoid carcinoma, comprises 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 ...

, respectively.

Anaplasia Anaplasia () is a condition of cell (biology), cells with poor cellular differentiation, losing the morphology (biology), morphological characteristics of mature cells and their orientation with respect to each other and to endothelium, endotheli ...

in a tumor may be focal or diffuse. Specific types include: *

anaplastic astrocytoma Anaplastic astrocytoma is a rare WHO grade III type of astrocytoma, which is a type of cancer of the brain. In the United States, the annual incidence rate for anaplastic astrocytoma is 0.44 per 100,000 people. Signs and symptoms Initial presenti ...

* anaplastic large-cell lymphoma * anaplastic meningioma *

anaplastic thyroid cancer Anaplastic thyroid cancer (ATC), also known as anaplastic thyroid carcinoma, is an aggressive form of thyroid cancer characterized by uncontrolled growth of cells in the thyroid gland. This form of cancer generally carries a very poor prognosis d ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Anaplastic Carcinoma Carcinoma