The Influence of the Body Structure on Tumor Development

Abstract

Neoplastic cells originate from normal cells of the organism undergoing neoplastic transformation. Cells are cells but their specializations culminating in the formation of tissues vary according to the taxonomic position of the organism. In general, considering organisms with true tissues (animals, plants and higher fungi) three tissue types can be distinguished. These are the tissues of animals and man, the tissues of vascular plants and the plectenchymata of fungi. The first two groups develop by cell division whereas the last group develops by cell clogging up, interweaving or coalescing. The tissues of the highest algae, especially pheophyta and rhodophyta, can be considered comparable to true tissues but of a low level and are known as pseudoparenchymata. Mosses also have tissues that are similar in general too but differ in particular, from the true tissues of higher life forms. A short table summarizes the most important facts (1)(3).