Dirty Necrosis

**Semantic type:** Finding

**Definition:** A morphologic finding indicating the presence of necrotic epithelial cells, neutrophils, karyorrhectic debris, and fibrin in the lumen of malignant glands. It was initially described in colonic adenocarcinomas, but it has also been observed in adenocarcinomas that arise in other anatomic sites, including lungs and ovaries.

**Synonyms:** - dirty necrosis