HUMAN BIOLOGY

Genes and disease: CanCer 431

hoW is cancer categoriZed and named?

• Cancer is categorized and named according to the tissue where
  it first develops.

taKe-Home messaGe

Scientists use Latin prefixes to indicate the particular

tissue or organ where cancer develops (Figure 22.9). For

example, the prefix adeno- refers to gland cells. A woman

whose breast cancer develops in milk ducts will therefore

be diagnosed with an adenocarcinoma of the breast.

Previous chapters have discussed examples of cancers

that strike different body systems. Figure 22.10 summa-

rizes American Cancer Society statistics on where the most

common types of cancer form.

n in general, a cancer is named according to the type of

tissue in which it first forms.

Although there are dozens of specific types of cancer, they
can be sorted into more general categories based on the tis-
sue where the primary (first) cancer develops.
For example, cancers of connective tissues such as mus-
cle and bone are sarcomas. Types of carcinomas arise
from cells in epithelium, including cells of the skin and
the epithelial linings of internal organs. Lymphomas are
cancers of lymphoid tissues in organs such as lymph nodes,
and cancers arising in blood-forming regions—mainly
stem cells in bone marrow—are leukemias. Gliomas
develop in glial cells of the brain.

22.4 Major Types of Cancer

Figure 22.10 In the United States, more than 1.5 million

people are diagnosed with cancer each year. This chart

shows the American Cancer Society’s estimates of the

incidence of common cancers in the United States in 2014.

© Cengage Learning

The Ten Most Common Cancer Sites (U.S.)

MALE

855,220

prostate

27%

lung and

bronchus

14%

colon and

rectum

8%

urinary bladder

7%

melanoma of

the skin

5%

oral cavity

4%

non-Hodgkin

lymphoma

4%

kidney

5%

leukemia (blood)

4%

liver

3%

FEMALE

810,320

breast

29%

colon and

rectum

8%

lung and

bronchus

13%

uterus

6%

non-Hodgkin

lymphoma

4%

thyroid

6%

melanoma of

the skin

4%

pancreas

3%

kidney

3%

leukemia (blood)

3%

Figure 22.9 Cancer is named for the site in the body

where it first develops. This list shows Latin prefixes used

to indicate the location of various forms of carcinoma.

Naming Cancers

adeno- gland

Prefix Meaning

lympho- lymphocyte

osteo- bone

melano- pigment

cell

chondro- cartilage

myelo- bone

marrow

hepato- liver

myo- muscle

Cancer Prefixes

and Locations

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