Neoplasia: Precancerous conditions

and are called “preneoplastic disorders”.

1. Persistent regenerative cell replication (e.g. squamous cell carcinoma in the margins of a chronic skin fistula or a long-unhealed skin wound; hepatocellular carcinoma in cirrhosis of the liver)

2. Hyperplastic and dysplastic proliferations (e.g. endometrial carcinoma in atypical endometrial hyperplasia; bronchogenic carcinoma in the dysplastic bronchial mucosa of habitual cigarette smokers)

3. Chronic atrophic gastritis (e.g. gastric carcinoma in pernicious anemia)

4. Chronic ulcerative colitis (e.g. an increased incidence of colorectal carcinoma in long-standing disease)

5. Leukoplakia of the oral cavity, vulva or penis (e.g. increased risk of sqaumous cell carcinoma)

6. Villous adenomas of the colon (e.g. high risk of transformation to colorectal carcinoma

**Are benign tumors cancerous? In general, NO. But it is better to say that each type of benign tumor is associated with a particular level of risk, from nonexistent to high. E.G. Adenomas of the colon can undergo malignant transformation 50% of the time, contrasted with the extremely rare malignant change of leiomyomas of the uterus.

Category: Pathology Notes