 | This article needs additional citations for verification. (March 2021) |
| Precancerous condition | |
|---|---|
| Other names | Premalignant condition, precancer, premalignancy, dysplasia, intraepithelial neoplasm, carcinoma in situ |
 | |
| Micrograph of high grade squamous intraepithelial lesion, a precancerous condition of the uterine cervix. Pap stain. | |
| Specialty | Oncology |
A precancerous condition is a condition, tumor or lesion involving abnormal cells which are associated with an increased risk of developing into cancer.[1][2][3] Clinically, precancerous conditions encompass a variety of abnormal tissues with an increased risk of developing into cancer. Some of the most common precancerous conditions include certain colon polyps, which can progress into colon cancer, monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance, which can progress into multiple myeloma or myelodysplastic syndrome.[4] and cervical dysplasia, which can progress into cervical cancer.[5] Bronchial premalignant lesions can progress to squamous cell carcinoma of the lung.[6]
Pathologically, precancerous tissue can range from benign neoplasias, which are tumors which don't invade neighboring normal tissues or spread to distant organs, to dysplasia,[1] a collection of highly abnormal cells which, in some cases, has an increased risk of progressing to anaplasia and invasive cancer which is life-threatening. Sometimes, the term "precancer" is also used for carcinoma in situ, which is a noninvasive cancer that has not grown and spread to nearby tissue, unlike the invasive stage. As with other precancerous conditions, not all carcinoma in situ will become an invasive disease but is at risk of doing so.
- ^ a b "NCI Dictionary of Cancer Terms". National Cancer Institute. 2011-02-02. Retrieved 2018-03-28.
- ^ "Precancerous conditions of the colon or rectum". Canadian cancer society. Retrieved 2018-03-19.
- ^ "Precancerous conditions of the esophagus". Canadian cancer society. Retrieved 2018-03-19.
- ^ Korde N, Kristinsson SY, Landgren O (May 2011). "Monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance (MGUS) and smoldering multiple myeloma (SMM): novel biological insights and development of early treatment strategies". Blood. 117 (21): 5573–5581. doi:10.1182/blood-2011-01-270140. PMC 3316455. PMID 21441462.
- ^ "Precancerous conditions of the cervix". Canadian cancer society. Retrieved 2018-03-19.
- ^ Beane J, Mazzilli SA, Tassinari AM, Liu G, Zhang X, Liu H, et al. (September 2017). "Detecting the Presence and Progression of Premalignant Lung Lesions via Airway Gene Expression". Clinical Cancer Research. 23 (17): 5091–5100. doi:10.1158/1078-0432.CCR-16-2540. PMC 7404813. PMID 28533227.