Cancer and Tumor Terms

Position explains much of its reputation: a tumor deep behind the stomach can grow quietly until it presses on the bile duct or nearby nerves.

A rare cancer that forms in the islets of Langerhans cells (a type of cell found in the pancreas).

An abnormal mass that grows in the beta cells of the pancreas that make insulin.

An aggressive cancer that usually affects the uterus/endometrium, peritoneum, or ovary.

Among thyroid cancers, papillary carcinoma is the most frequently diagnosed type, arising from hormone producing follicular cells and typically growing slowly.

A tumor shaped like a small mushroom, with its stem attached to the epithelial layer (inner lining) of an organ.

A tumor that can sit silently for years or flood the body with adrenaline, depending on where it happens to grow.

A rare cancer that forms in tissues of one or more of the parathyroid glands (four pea-sized glands in the neck that make parathyroid hormone, which helps the body store and use calcium).

Cancer that forms in a parotid gland, the largest of the salivary glands, which make saliva and release it into the mouth.

Penile cancer is a rare malignancy usually beginning in the skin of the penis, often diagnosed as a visible lesion or change on the surface.

A cancer that forms near the ampulla of Vater (an enlargement of the ducts from the liver and pancreas where they join and enter the small intestine).

A type of cancer that forms in bone or soft tissue.

One of a group of aggressive (fast-growing) non-Hodgkin lymphomas that begins in mature T lymphocytes (T cells that have matured in the thymus gland and goes to other lymphatic sites in the body…

Peritoneal cancer develops in the thin membrane lining the abdominal cavity, and more often reflects cancer that has spread there from another organ.

Cancer that forms in tissues of the pharynx (the hollow tube inside the neck that starts behind the nose and ends at the top of the windpipe and esophagus).

An uncommon breast growth known for coming back in the same place, which is why the rim of tissue taken around it matters.

A type of brain tumor that occurs in or around the pineal gland, a tiny organ near the center of the brain.

A tumor sitting exactly where it can dam the brain's drainage, so the first sign is pressure rather than anything local.

A tumor that forms in the pituitary gland.

A type of cancer that begins in plasma cells (white blood cells that produce antibodies).