The cytologic criteria of malignancy

Cytology and cell biology are two separate fields that share a focus on cancer. Cancer is still diagnosed based on morphology, and surprisingly little is known about the molecular basis of the defining structural features. Cytology uses the smallest possible biopsy for diagnosis by reducing morpholo...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of cellular biochemistry 2010-07, Vol.110 (4), p.795-811
Main Authors: Fischer, Andrew H., Zhao, Chengquan, Li, Qing Kay, Gustafson, Karen S., Eltoum, Isam-Eldin, Tambouret, Rosemary, Benstein, Barbara, Savaloja, Lynnette C., Kulesza, Peter
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
cancer cell structure
Cell Polarity
criteria of malignancy
diagnosis
Humans
Models, Biological
Neoplasms - genetics
Neoplasms - pathology
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:Cytology and cell biology are two separate fields that share a focus on cancer. Cancer is still diagnosed based on morphology, and surprisingly little is known about the molecular basis of the defining structural features. Cytology uses the smallest possible biopsy for diagnosis by reducing morphologic “criteria of malignancy” to the smallest scale. To begin to develop common ground, members of the American Society of Cytopathology Cell Biology Liaison Working Group classify some of the “criteria of malignancy” and review their relation to current cell biology concepts. The criteria of malignancy are extremely varied, apparently reflecting many different pathophysiologies in specific microenvironments. Criteria in Group 1 comprise tissue‐level alterations that appear to relate to resistance to anoikis, alterations in cell adhesion molecules, and loss of apical–basal polarity. Criteria in Group 2 reflect genetic instability, including chromosomal and possibly epigenetic instability. Criteria in Groups 3 are subcellular structural changes involving cytoplasmic components, nuclear lamina, chromatin and nucleoli that cannot be accounted for by genetic instability. Some distinct criteria in Group 3 are known to be induced by cancer genes, but their precise structural basis remains obscure. The criteria of malignancy are not closely related to the histogenetic classification of cancers, and they appear to provide an alternative, biologically relevant framework for establishing common ground between cytologists and cell biologists. To understand the criteria of malignancy at a molecular level would improve diagnosis, and likely point to novel cell physiologies that are not encompassed by current cell biology concepts. J. Cell. Biochem. 110: 795–811, 2010. © 2010 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
ISSN:0730-2312
1097-4644
DOI:10.1002/jcb.22585