Lepidic growth

Lepidic growth is a pathological term referring to a pattern of cell proliferation along the lining of the alveolar structures of the lung as is seen in a subset of lung tumors ¹.

History and etymology

• ‘lepidic’ was coined by the English pathologist John George Adam (1862-1926) whilst at McGill University, where he was the first Professor of Pathology ^2,3
• he first employed the word lepidic in a lecture to the Toronto Pathological Society on 4 January 1902 to refer to tumors derived from surface lining cells, subtly different from its contemporaneous usage ²
• lepidic is derived from the Greek word 'λεπις' meaning a skin/membrane ²
• although erroneously posited by many articles, the word’s origins have nothing to do with butterflies, of the genus, Lepidoptera ²

Related pathology

• lepidic-predominant adenocarcinoma of the lung