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I sometimes think our chosen vocabulary for cancer is a bit self-defeating. I am sure oncologists have a more nuanced view than mine, but there's three big com

I sometimes think our chosen vocabulary for cancer is a bit self-defeating. I am sure oncologists have a more nuanced view than mine, but there's three big components which stick out to me. First, where did the cancer start (organ is good, tissue specific is even better)? Second, what mutations were involved? Third, where has it gone from there? All three give a more complete picture than just the point of origin.

LeroyRaz 2y ago
I think point of origin makes a huge amount of sense. All the actual cells of the cancer will be of the origin type! E.g., even if it is in the brain it is still a clump of lung tissue cells.
adamredwoods 2y ago
You mean terms like carcinoma, adenocarcinoma, and squamous cell carcinoma? You're correct oncologists do talk in fairly advanced terms as you've described. We laypeople use general terms where it starts: breast cancer, lung cancer, skin cancer. Metastatic when it invades other places, and we give it grades. Stage II, stage III, stage IV (and sometimes finer grades). General terms help us define what to focus on. This probably fits with your third point. For specific destinations, different cancers like to metastasize to specific places, but not always. We don't know why, it is still being investigated, but there are patterns. Your second point is more advanced. Cancer cells have specific characteristics, in general we call them expressions or mutations, usually identified through biopsy and/or liquid biopsies. PD-L1, HER2, ALK+, PTEN, BRCA, BRAF, KRAS, PI3K, etc. We learn new ones all the time and sadly cancer will mutate and turn on/off characteristics. Cells are adaptable and duplicate with these adaptations. I'm currently reading this book to help me understand (latest edition): https://www.google.com/books/edition/Molecular_Biology_of_Cancer/n8owEAAAQBAJ https://www.google.com/books/edition/Molecular_Biology_of_Ca...

LeroyRaz 2y ago

I think point of origin makes a huge amount of sense. All the actual cells of the cancer will be of the origin type! E.g., even if it is in the brain it is still a clump of lung tissue cells.

adamredwoods 2y ago

You mean terms like carcinoma, adenocarcinoma, and squamous cell carcinoma? You're correct oncologists do talk in fairly advanced terms as you've described. We laypeople use general terms where it starts: breast cancer, lung cancer, skin cancer. Metastatic when it invades other places, and we give it grades. Stage II, stage III, stage IV (and sometimes finer grades). General terms help us define what to focus on. This probably fits with your third point. For specific destinations, different cancers like to metastasize to specific places, but not always. We don't know why, it is still being investigated, but there are patterns. Your second point is more advanced. Cancer cells have specific characteristics, in general we call them expressions or mutations, usually identified through biopsy and/or liquid biopsies. PD-L1, HER2, ALK+, PTEN, BRCA, BRAF, KRAS, PI3K, etc. We learn new ones all the time and sadly cancer will mutate and turn on/off characteristics. Cells are adaptable and duplicate with these adaptations. I'm currently reading this book to help me understand (latest edition): https://www.google.com/books/edition/Molecular_Biology_of_Cancer/n8owEAAAQBAJ https://www.google.com/books/edition/Molecular_Biology_of_Ca...