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The existence of cancer and the distinction between benign and malignant tumours were recognised by the early Greek physicians, who coined the term ‘carcinoma’, derived from the Greek karkinos, meaning ‘crab’, alluding to the creeping crab-like behaviour of a spreading tumour. The development of microscopy eventually led to the recognition that tumours contained cells that differed fundamentally in appearance and behaviour from those of the surrounding tissue. Oncology, the scienti?c investigation and clinical (more…)

A tumour can be de?ned as any focal accumulation of cells beyond the numbers required for the development, repair or function of a tissue. Tumours may be benign or malignant. The former are usually relatively slow growing, but more importantly the cells tend to retain much of the specialisation and spatial localization , global healthf the tissue from which they are derived. In contrast, malignant cells are characterised by a loss of differentiation, faster growth (more…)