Definitions and terminology in cancer (tumor) etiology—an analysis aiming at proposals for a current internationally standardized terminology
✍ Scribed by Erich Hecker
- Publisher
- John Wiley and Sons
- Year
- 1976
- Tongue
- French
- Weight
- 802 KB
- Volume
- 18
- Category
- Article
- ISSN
- 0020-7136
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✦ Synopsis
In the course of its development every field of science passes at least once through a period of confusion, resulting from discrepant use of terminology. At present in cancer (tumor) etiology such confusion is considerable, because some of the key terms describing the generation of neoplasia are being used with divergent and even with opposite meanings. This situation calls for clarification: a clearly defined and generally accepted system of terminology in cancer (tumor) etiology is essential for a more eKicient worldwide collaboration in research and in teaching as well as in documentation, environmental hygiene and legislation.
During recent years considerable progress has been made in understanding the contributions of causative agents, of patterns of exposure and of the host or target tissue to the etiology of cancers (tumors). This permits in depth analyses of the meaning of some of the key terms used in this field to provide a sound background as well as a starting point and a stimulus for the development of a proposed concise system of descriptive terminology.
Such a system has to be purely descriptive and should be as simple and flexible as possible. Its development must not be delayed until mechanistic details of the generation of neoplasia have been explored. It will be shown that the system required can be based upon well defined terms that describe reproducible (experimental) facts and that terms involving hypothetical e.g. mechanistic interpretations can be excluded. In most cases it is considered preferable to clarify, and if necessary, to redefine existing terms, rather than seek to replace them by new ones.
An informal trial to define a limited number of terms used in cancer (tumor) etiology was made by a group of temporary advisors to WHO ( I 97 I ).
A glossary of the definitions of terms proposed in this paper is given in Table .
BASIC CONSIDERATIONS
Carcinogenesis
For "generation of neoplasia" the use of the term '' carcinogenesis " may be preferred to " tumorigenesis ", '' oncogenesis " or " blastornogenesis ". '' Carcinogenesis '' (from the latin curcirm, the crab and genere, to make, to create) is generally understood to ' This presentation of identified carcinogens classifies them primarily according to their origin, nature and sources as indicated in the first three columns and separated by horizontal lines. Synergistic actions of solitary carcinogens and cocarcinogens of different origin, nature and sources, e.g. aromatic hydrocarbons with phorbol esters, are by no niedns excluded.