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carcinoma

American  
[kahr-suh-noh-muh] / ˌkɑr səˈnoʊ mə /

noun

Pathology.

plural

carcinomas, carcinomata

  1. a malignant and invasive epithelial tumor that spreads by metastasis and often recurs after excision; cancer.

carcinoma British  
/ ˌkɑːsɪˈnəʊmə /

noun

  1. any malignant tumour derived from epithelial tissue

  2. another name for cancer

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
carcinoma Scientific  
/ kär′sə-nō′mə /

plural

carcinomas

  1. Any of various cancerous tumors that are derived from epithelial tissue of the skin, blood vessels, or other organs and that tend to metastasize to other parts of the body.

  2. See also basal cell carcinoma squamous cell carcinoma

carcinoma Cultural  

  1. A malignant tumor in the tissues that make up the skin, glands, mucous membranes, and lining of organs.

Other Word Forms

  • carcinomatoid adjective
  • carcinomatous adjective

Etymology

Origin of carcinoma

1715–25; < Latin: ulcer, tumor < Greek karkínōma; carcino-, -oma

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Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

In May 2025, Arnold announced that he was ill, and had received a diagnosis of stage 4 clear cell renal carcinoma, a type of kidney cancer, which had metastasised into his lung.

From BBC • Feb. 7, 2026

That led to a biopsy, which in April revealed that Hamilton had Stage 2 triple-positive invasive lobular carcinoma.

From Slate • Feb. 4, 2026

The patient was a 71-year-old man with hepatitis B-related cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma who did not qualify for surgical removal of his tumors or for a human liver transplant.

From Science Daily • Dec. 7, 2025

She was 62 years old and had been under treatment for Merkel cell carcinoma, a rare skin cancer.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 3, 2025

Her tumor was invasive, but not an epidermoid carcinoma as originally diagnosed.

From "The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks" by Rebecca Skloot

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.