Microstaging

Last updated

Microstaging is a technique used to help determine the stage (extent) of melanoma and certain squamous cell cancers. A sample of skin that contains tumor tissue is examined under a microscope to find out how thick the tumor is and/or how deeply the tumor has grown into the skin or connective tissues.

Cancer staging is the process of determining the extent to which a cancer has developed by growing and spreading. Contemporary practice is to assign a number from I to IV to a cancer, with I being an isolated cancer and IV being a cancer which has spread to the limit of what the assessment measures. The stage generally takes into account the size of a tumor, whether it has invaded adjacent organs, how many regional (nearby) lymph nodes it has spread to, and whether it has appeared in more distant locations (metastasized).

Melanoma malignant neoplasm originating from melanocytes

Melanoma, also known as malignant melanoma, is a type of cancer that develops from the pigment-containing cells known as melanocytes. Melanomas typically occur in the skin, but may rarely occur in the mouth, intestines, or eye. In women, they most commonly occur on the legs, while in men they are most common on the back. Sometimes they develop from a mole with changes such as an increase in size, irregular edges, change in color, itchiness, or skin breakdown.

Skin soft outer covering organ of vertebrates

Skin is the soft outer tissue covering of vertebrates with three main functions: protection, regulation, and sensation.

PD-icon.svg This article incorporates  public domain material from the U.S. National Cancer Institute document "Dictionary of Cancer Terms" .

National Cancer Institute US research institute, part of National Institutes of Health

The National Cancer Institute (NCI) is part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), which is one of eleven agencies that are part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The NCI coordinates the United States National Cancer Program and conducts and supports research, training, health information dissemination, and other activities related to the causes, prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of cancer; the supportive care of cancer patients and their families; and cancer survivorship.


Related Research Articles

Atiprimod chemical compound

Atiprimod is a substance being studied in the treatment of certain multiple myelomas and other advanced cancers. It may block the growth of tumors and the growth of blood vessels from surrounding tissue to the tumor. This drug is also being researched as a potential treatment for various autoimmune diseases. It was first developed by GlaxoSmithKline as a potential treatment for rheumatoid arthritis. The substance is also known as azaspirane, although this more properly refers to the class of chemicals to which atiprimod belongs.

Carcinosarcoma mixed cell type cancer that has material basis in carcinomatous (epithelial tissue) and sarcomatous (connective tissue) components

Carcinosarcomas are malignant tumors that consist of a mixture of carcinoma and sarcoma. Carcinosarcomas are rare tumors, and can arise in diverse organs, such as the skin, salivary glands, lungs, the esophagus, pancreas, colon, uterus and ovaries.

Cholangiosarcoma is a tumor of the connective tissues of the bile ducts.

Choroid plexus tumors are a rare type of cancer that occur from the brain tissue called choroid plexus of the brain. These tumors usually occur in children younger than 2 years and are classified according to the WHO classification of the tumors of the central nervous system:

Spindle cell sarcoma A sarcoma that results in cells that are spindle-shaped. They are usually resistant to radiation therapy.

Spindle cell sarcoma is a type of connective tissue cancer in which the cells are spindle-shaped when examined under a microscope. The tumors generally begin in layers of connective tissue such as that under the skin, between muscles, and surrounding organs, and will generally start as a small lump with inflammation that grows. At first the lump will be self-contained as the tumor exists in its stage 1 state, and will not necessarily expand beyond its encapsulated form. However, it may develop cancerous processes that can only be detected through microscopic examination. As such, at this level the tumor is usually treated by excision that includes wide margins of healthy-looking tissue, followed by thorough biopsy and additional excision if necessary. The prognosis for a stage 1 tumor excision is usually fairly positive, but if the tumors progress to levels 2 and 3, prognosis is worse because tumor cells have likely spread to other locations. These locations can either be nearby tissues or system-wide locations that include the lungs, kidneys, and liver. In these cases prognosis is grim and chemotherapy and radiation are the only methods of controlling the cancer.

A stromal tumor is a tumor that arises in the supporting connective tissue of an organ.

Malignant ectomesenchymoma is a rare, fast-growing tumor of the nervous system or soft tissue that occurs in children and young adults. Malignant ectomesenchymomas may form in the head and neck, abdomen, perineum, scrotum, or limbs. Also called ectomesenchymoma.

Compound nevus Human disease

A compound nevus is a type of mole formed by groups of nevus cells found in the epidermis and dermis.

Wedge resection is a surgical procedure to remove a triangle-shaped slice of tissue. It may be used to remove a tumor or some other type of tissue that requires removal and typically includes a small amount of normal tissue around it. It is easy to repair, does not greatly distort the shape of the underlying organ and leaves just a single stitch line as a residual.

Salivary gland tumour human disease

Salivary gland tumours or neoplasms are tumours that form in the tissues of salivary glands. The salivary glands are classified as major or minor. The major salivary glands consist of the parotid, submandibular, and sublingual glands. The minor salivary glands consist of 800-1000 small mucus-secreting glands located throughout the lining of the oral cavity.

Giant-cell fibroblastoma is a rare type of soft-tissue tumor marked by painless nodules in the dermis and subcutaneous tissue. These tumors may come back after surgery, but they do not spread to other parts of the body. They occur mostly in boys and are related to dermatofibrosarcoma protuberans.

Hyperthermia therapy

Hyperthermia therapy is a type of medical treatment in which body tissue is exposed to higher temperatures in an effort to treat cancer.

Inverted papilloma Human disease

An inverted papilloma is a type of tumor in which surface epithelial cells grow downward into the underlying supportive tissue. It may occur in the nose and/or sinuses or in the urinary tract. When it occurs in the nose or sinuses, it may cause symptoms similar to those caused by sinusitis, such as nasal congestion. When it occurs in the urinary tract, it may cause blood in the urine.

Spindle cell carcinoma is a type of cancer that begins in the skin or in tissues that line or cover internal organs and that contains long spindle-shaped cells. It is also called sarcomatoid carcinoma.

Overgrowth syndromes in children constitute a group of rare disorders that are typical of tissue hypertrophy. Individual overgrowth syndromes have been shown to overlap with regard to clinical and radiologic features. The details of the genetic bases of these syndromes are unfolding. Any of the three embryonic tissue layers may be involved.The syndromes may manifest in localized or generalized tissue overgrowth. Latitudinal and longitudinal growth may be affected. Nevertheless, the musculoskeletal features are central to the diagnosis of some syndromes such as Proteus syndrome. The time of presentation of children with overgrowth syndromes is an important contributor to the differential diagnosis. Children with some overgrowth syndromes such as Klippel-Trenaunay-Weber syndrome can be readily detectable at birth. In contrast other overgrowth syndromes such as Proteus syndrome usually present in the postnatal period characteristically between the 2nd and 3rd year of life. In general, children with overgrowth syndromes are at increased risk of embryonic tumor development.

An open biopsy is a procedure in which a surgical incision (cut) is made through the skin to expose and remove tissues. The biopsy tissue is examined under a microscope by a pathologist. An open biopsy may be done in the doctor’s office or in the hospital, and may use local anesthesia or general anesthesia. A lumpectomy to remove a breast tumor is a type of open biopsy.

A neuroectodermal tumor is a tumor of the central or peripheral nervous system.

Embryoma is a mass of rapidly growing cells believed to originate in embryonic (fetal) tissue. Embryonal tumors may be benign or malignant, and include neuroblastomas and Wilms tumors. Also called embryoma. Embryomas have been defined as: "Adult neoplasms expressing one or more embryo-exclusive genes."

Parathyroid carcinoma endocrine disease

Parathyroid carcinoma is a rare cancer resulting in parathyroid adenoma to carcinoma progression. It forms in tissues of one or more of the parathyroid glands.

Segmental resection is a surgical procedure to remove part of an organ or gland, as a sub-type of a resection, which might involve removing the whole body part. It may also be used to remove a tumor and normal tissue around it. In lung cancer surgery, segmental resection refers to removing a section of a lobe of the lung. The resection margin is the edge of the removed tissue; it is important that this shows free of cancerous cells on examination by a pathologist.