Dictionary of Cancer Terms
View in Spanish: Carcinoma de células escamosas
Squamous cell carcinoma (SKWAY-mus sel KAR-sih-NOH-muh)
Cancer that begins in squamous cells, which are thin, flat cells that look like fish scales. Squamous cells are found in the tissue that forms the surface of the skin, the lining of the hollow organs of the body, and the passages of the respiratory and digestive tracts. Also called epidermoid carcinoma.
Source: National Cancer Institute Dictionary of Cancer Terms, available at www.cancer.gov/dictionary.