Image Collection: Noncancerous, Precancerous and Cancerous Tumors

Squamous Cell Carcinoma 1

Image Source: Color Atlas of Cosmetic Dermatology Marc R. Avram, Sandy Tsao, Zeina Tannous, Mathew M. Avram Copyright 2007 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.

Squamous cell carcinoma: Cancer that begins in squamous cells -- thin, flat cells that look under the microscope like fish scales. Squamous cells are found in the tissue that forms the surface of the skin, the lining of hollow organs of the body, and the passages of the respiratory and digestive tracts. Squamous cell carcinomas may arise in any of these tissues.

The word "squamous" came from the Latin squama meaning "the scale of a fish or serpent."