ABSTRACT
The distinction between cancer and non-cancer dominates the diagnostic work of the anatomical pathologist. The distinction may not be straightforward. Regeneration, inflammation and necrosis are features of cancer as well as innocent inflammatory processes. The inflammation caused by micro-organisms may be out of all proportion to their number and size. The term ‘hypersensitivity’ implies a reaction by the immune defences that is excessive and results in inflammation that is detrimental to the host. The stimulus may be a micro-organism, the antigenic products of micro-organisms, particular organic or inorganic matter or drugs. Inflammation may also be secondary to trauma (including self-inflicted trauma), heat, cold, chemical irritants, irradiation, ischemic necrosis and cancer. The likelihood of one cause over another will be influenced by the organ or system affected. The diagnosis of ‘non-specific inflammation’ should become rarer and increasingly unacceptable with time.
