Here’s your Tumor Terminology Decoding Chart — designed for quick reference so you can decode histopathology/radiology report wording at a glance.

Tumor Terminology Decoding Chart

Prefix / Descriptive Term Meaning (Cell / Tissue Type) Benign Example Malignant Example Notes / Key Points
Squamous Stratified squamous epithelium (skin, oral cavity, esophagus, cervix) Squamous papilloma Squamous cell carcinoma Often keratin pearls in well-differentiated types
Adeno- Glandular / secretory epithelium (GI tract, pancreas, breast, prostate) Adenoma Adenocarcinoma “Adenomatous” = benign but premalignant potential
Transitional / Urothelial Lining of urinary tract (renal pelvis → bladder) Transitional papilloma Transitional (urothelial) carcinoma Common in bladder cancer
Neuroendocrine Neuroendocrine cells (endocrine + neural features) Carcinoid tumor Small-cell carcinoma, large-cell neuroendocrine carcinoma “Salt-and-pepper” chromatin histology
Germ cell Primitive reproductive cells (testis, ovary, midline) Mature teratoma Seminoma, yolk sac tumor, embryonal carcinoma May contain multiple tissue types
Lymphoid Lymphocytes / immune system tissue Reactive lymphoid hyperplasia Lymphoma (Hodgkin, Non-Hodgkin) Diagnosed by histology + immunophenotyping
Melano- Melanocytes (pigment-producing cells) – Melanoma Aggressive; can arise in skin, eye, mucosa
Fibro- Fibrous connective tissue Fibroma Fibrosarcoma Mesenchymal origin
Lipo- Adipose tissue Lipoma Liposarcoma Well-differentiated liposarcoma may mimic lipoma radiologically
Leiomyo- Smooth muscle Leiomyoma Leiomyosarcoma Common benign uterine tumor
Rhabdomyo- Skeletal muscle Rhabdomyoma Rhabdomyosarcoma Malignant form common in pediatrics
Osteo- Bone-forming tissue Osteoma Osteosarcoma Osteosarcoma → malignant osteoid production
Chondro- Cartilage Chondroma Chondrosarcoma Common in long bones, pelvis
Hemangio- Blood vessels Hemangioma Angiosarcoma Angiosarcoma is aggressive, often skin/liver
Myo- Muscle (nonspecific) Myoma Myosarcoma Prefix modified to leio-/rhabdo- for smooth/skeletal

Common Descriptive Terms in Tumor Names

Term Meaning Example Key Point
Adenomatous Gland-like benign proliferation Adenomatous polyp of colon Premalignant potential
Papillary Finger-like projections Papillary thyroid carcinoma Architecture description
Villous Long, frond-like projections Villous adenoma (colon) Higher malignancy risk than tubular adenoma
Cystic Fluid-filled spaces Cystadenoma Seen in ovary, pancreas
Mucinous Producing mucin Mucinous cystadenocarcinoma Mucin seen as high T2 signal on MRI
Solid Densely packed cells Solid variant papillary carcinoma Low stroma
Clear cell Cytoplasm appears clear Clear cell renal cell carcinoma Due to glycogen/lipid
Spindle cell Elongated cells resembling fibroblasts Spindle cell sarcoma Often mesenchymal origin
Giant cell Multinucleated large cells Giant cell tumor of bone May be reactive or neoplastic
Embryonal Resembling fetal tissue Embryonal rhabdomyosarcoma Often aggressive
Medullary Soft, brain-like consistency Medullary thyroid carcinoma Often solid cellular mass
Scirrhous Dense fibrous stroma Scirrhous gastric carcinoma Rock-hard feel

Suffix Guide

Suffix Meaning Example Malignancy?
-oma Tumor (often benign, but exceptions) Lipoma Usually benign — EXCEPT lymphoma, melanoma, hepatoma
-carcinoma Malignant epithelial tumor Squamous cell carcinoma Yes
-sarcoma Malignant mesenchymal tumor Osteosarcoma Yes
-blastoma Malignant tumor from primitive cells Neuroblastoma Yes
-cytoma Tumor of specific cell type Astrocytoma May be benign or malignant