title: [Cognitive aspects and problems in the diagnosis of malignant tumors and their integration into a general disease concept].
abstract: The view is expressed that the histologic diagnosis of malignant tumors rests on criteria which only partially reflect the true nature of the process. Future development will require a broadened basis for histologic tumor diagnosis. Immunohistochemistry will play an important role. Further as yet undefined methodologic advances are to be expected. Tumor development, like aging, may be regarded as a fundamental biological event and an expression of complex alterations of the genome. It would be a simplification to regard it merely as a manifestation of disturbed growth and differentiation processes. The current oncogen theory represents a useful contribution but is not a complete explantation of tumorgenesis. A definition of malignancy is proposed which incorporates our current understanding of essential aspects and which is distinct from general concepts of disease and from other DNA-related disturbances of development, such as congenital enzyme defects and genetically determined malformations.
mesh_terms: D000367:Age Factors; D002273:Carcinogens / Q000494:pharmacology; D002454:Cell Differentiation; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D004198:Disease Susceptibility; D006801:Humans; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000648:ultrastructure
chemical_list: D002273:Carcinogens
vernacular_title: Erkenntnistheoretische Aspekte und Probleme der Diagnostik maligner Tumoren und ihre Einordnung in den allgemeinen Krankheitsbegriff.