How can some tumors grow eyes and teeth?
In: 0
same way that fetus grows them: by producing hormones and other chemicals that instruct cells to turn into tooth or eye cells.
Teeth and eyes are pretty complex structures, so it takes a lot of very special hormones in correct doses and the right time, so tumors with eyes and teeth are very very rare.
It would have to be a type of germ cell tumour called a teratoma. They can be benign or malignant. They contain primordial stem cells which can differentiate into any type of cell in the human body. When you excuse one and cut into it you’ll find lots of different types of tissue usually. It’s not uncommon to find hair growing inside it. Other commonly recognised tissues are muscle, bone and teeth. Teeth are actually pretty basic because they only have one type of tissue
As for the eye or such complex structures. These would be the in extremely rare fetus in fetu, or fetaform teratomas. There are a few hypotheses about hot these occur. One is just that it’s a teratoma that happened to develop bits that look recognisability. And the tumour has a vague fetal look. Another is that it’s not like other teratomas at all, and is more of a parasitic twin. The theory is that an identical twin started to form, but something went wrong, it stopped forming normally and then was enveloped by the other twin. Because it still has blood and nutrient supply it continues to grow to some extent but not properly, and is primed to develop more complex structures than a typical teratoma
Latest Answers