Carcinoma is a cancer that develops from epithelial cells of the skin or the lining of the internal organs. The word was derived from Greek: καρκίνωμα (karkinoma), which means "sore, ulcer, cancer." Karkinoma was derived from the word karkinos, which means crab.
Carcinomas are caused by a damaged or altered DNA of a cell, in which the cell begins to grow uncontrollably and become malignant.