Med. Weter. 74 (3), 156-160, 2018

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Janusz A. Madej
Neoplastic cannibalism and a suggestion for changes in terminology of selected epithelial tumors
The types of cell cannibalism (entosis) are described (Fig. 1 and 2), including heterocannibalism and homocannibalism (autocannibalism), in which neoplastic cells can undergo incomplete heterophagocytosis, complete heterophagocytosis, pseudocannibalism, degradation to granular bodies, transformation of benign neoplastic cells into malignant ones, reduction in clonogenic potential or the progression of malignancy of tumour cells. The author also suggests changes in the nomenclature of some epithelial neoplasms, (Fig. 3) including tumours originating from blood vessel and lymphatic endothelium (from haemangioendothelioma to carcinoma haemangioendotheliae vel carcinoma lymphangiotheliale), tumours originating from the peritoneum and pleura (from mesothelioma to carcinoma mesotheliale), malignant melanoma (from melanoma malignum to melanocarcinoma, carcinoma melanogenes), thymoma (from thymomata to carcinoma thymi) and nervous system ependymoma (from ependymoma to carcinoma ependymale). .
Key words: neoplastic hetero- and homocannibalism (entosis), new nomenclature of selected epithelial tumours