Differentiation, histogenesis and morphogenesis: their implications for tumor diagnosis

Differentiation, as employed in tumor classification for histopathology, refers to the resemblance of neoplastic cells to their presumed cell/tissue of origin. Since differentiation for diagnosis is obtained by analysing histological images, this histogenetic concept creates practical limitations. Morphogenesis, a variant of differentiation, is a wider concept since it takes into consideration the nature of the tumor cells, their organization and their synthetic products. Consequently, morphogenesis, rather than differentiation, seems to be a better predictor of histogenesis in tumor diagnosis.