carcinomatosis
Meaning of carcinomatosis: Carcinomatosis describes carcinoma that has spread extensively through the body or throughout a body cavity, representing an advanced stage of disease.
Definition of carcinomatosis
Carcinomatosis refers to the widespread dissemination of carcinoma, a type of cancer that arises from the cells lining organs and body surfaces, throughout the body or within a particular body cavity. It generally represents an advanced stage of disease rather than a distinct type of cancer on its own.
One well recognized form is peritoneal carcinomatosis, in which numerous tumor deposits spread across the lining of the abdominal cavity, often arising from cancer of the ovary, stomach, colon, or appendix. Another form, leptomeningeal carcinomatosis, involves spread to the thin membranes surrounding the brain and spinal cord.
Because carcinomatosis reflects such extensive spread, its presence generally changes how a cancer is staged and understood, and evaluation typically combines imaging with sampling of fluid or tissue from the affected cavity to confirm the diagnosis and identify the original source of the cancer.
Also known as
Used in a sentence
Imaging findings were consistent with peritoneal carcinomatosis originating from a cancer of the ovary.
Good to know
Carcinomatosis and carcinosis are generally used interchangeably to describe the same pattern of widespread carcinoma, though carcinomatosis is the more commonly used term in current practice.
Word origin
Where “carcinomatosis” comes from
Formed from Greek karkinoma, from karkinos, meaning crab, combined with the suffix -osis, denoting a condition or process.