Choristoma

/ˌkɔːrɪˈstoʊmə/ noun

Definition

A benign tumor or mass composed of tissues that normally don't belong in that location, made of normal tissue types but in the wrong place.

Etymology

From Greek 'choristos' (separated, out of place) and '-oma' (tumor). This medical term became standard in pathology in the late 1800s as microscopy advanced.

Kelly Says

A choristoma is your body's way of creating tissue in the wrong place—like finding an island of stomach lining in your lungs or liver tissue in your brain. It's weird anatomy!

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