Orris

Definition of Spindle cell

Reading File
Finding Sources
Searching PubMed

"spindle cell"

Searching the Web

spindle cell pathology definition

A spindle cell is an elongated cell that is wider in the middle and tapers at both ends, resembling a spindle.
In pathology, spindle-shaped cells are commonly derived from mesenchymal tissues, such as fibroblasts, smooth muscle cells, nerve-sheath cells, and some vascular cells. A spindle-cell lesion or tumor can be benign or malignant, so the term describes the cell’s shape, not its diagnosis or behavior. NCBI definition

Textbook definition of Spindle cell along with reference

Reading File
Finding Sources
Finding Sources
Searching PubMed

"spindle cell"

Searching the Web

spindle cells pathology definition textbook

Finding Sources
Finding Sources
Finding Sources
Finding Sources
Spindle cell: A fusiform (elongated) cell with tapering ends, typically resembling a spindle. In pathology, this term describes a cellular shape and is commonly seen in cells of mesenchymal origin, such as fibroblasts and smooth-muscle cells. It does not by itself establish whether a lesion is benign or malignant.
Textbook reference: Kumar V, Abbas AK, Aster JC. Robbins & Kumar Basic Pathology. 11th ed. Elsevier; 2022. Chapter 19, “Soft Tissue Tumors.” The morphology table describes fibrous soft-tissue lesions as containing “spindle to stellate cells.”

Provide the definition from a specific pathology textbook

Reading File
Which pathology textbook would you like quoted, for example Robbins & Cotran Pathologic Basis of Disease, Robbins Basic Pathology, or Harsh Mohan Textbook of Pathology?

Quote the definition from Robbins & Cotran Pathologic Basis of Disease

Reading File
Finding Sources
Finding Sources
Searching PubMed

"spindle cell"

Searching the Web

Robbins Cotran Pathologic Basis of Disease spindle-shaped cells definition

Robbins, Cotran & Kumar Pathologic Basis of Disease does not appear to give a standalone formal definition of “spindle cell” in the available text. It uses the term descriptively.
Relevant quoted usage:
“Small spindle-shaped uterine smooth muscle cells…”
This identifies spindle-shaped cells by their elongated morphology in the context of normal uterine smooth muscle.
Reference: Robbins, Cotran & Kumar Pathologic Basis of Disease, section “Mechanisms of Hypertrophy,” Fig. 2.25 caption. The library edition available here does not provide a stable printed page number.

Then find the definition of Spindle cell from other standard reference books

Reading File
Finding Sources
Finding Sources
Searching PubMed

"spindle cell"

Searching the Web

standard pathology textbook spindle cell definition elongated tapered ends

Finding Sources
Finding Sources
Reading Web Page

https://librepathology.org/wiki/Spindle_cell

A formal dictionary-style definition is often not provided in major pathology textbooks. The standard morphologic definition used in pathology is:
“A spindle cell is an elongated, fusiform cell that tapers at both ends.”
A standard pathology reference that supports this morphology is:
  • Fletcher CDM, Bridge JA, Hogendoorn PCW, Mertens F, eds. WHO Classification of Tumours: Soft Tissue and Bone Tumours. 5th ed. International Agency for Research on Cancer; 2020. In soft-tissue tumor descriptions, “spindle cell” is used as a morphologic descriptor for elongated, fusiform cells.
A standard histology-text reference supporting the same shape is:
  • Ross MH, Pawlina W. Histology: A Text and Atlas: With Correlated Cell and Molecular Biology. 8th ed. Wolters Kluwer; 2024. Chapter “Muscle Tissue.” Smooth-muscle cells are described as “short, elongated, fusiform” cells.
For an exam answer, you can write:
Spindle cell: A long, slender fusiform cell with a broad central portion and tapering ends; it is a morphologic descriptor and does not itself indicate a benign or malignant lesion.
I should clarify that the one-sentence definition above is a standard synthesized morphologic definition, not a verbatim sentence located in the available edition of Robbins & Cotran.

Find a verbatim definition in a specific pathology textbook

Reading File
Finding Sources
Finding Sources
Searching the Web

"spindle cell is" "tapered at both ends" pathology textbook

Searching PubMed

"spindle cell"

Searching the Web

"spindle cells are" pathology "tapered" textbook

Finding Sources
I could not verify a verbatim, dictionary-style definition of “spindle cell” in a standard pathology textbook without risking an inaccurate attribution.
The closest verbatim textbook description I could verify is from Fitzpatrick’s Dermatology, describing smooth-muscle-type spindle cells as:
“large, elongated fusiform cells … [with] variably blunt-ended nuclei”
Reference: Kang S, Amagai M, Bruckner AL, et al., eds. Fitzpatrick’s Dermatology. 9th ed. McGraw Hill; section “Histopathology” under cutaneous leiomyosarcoma. The book describes these as the cytomorphology of smooth muscle differentiation.
For a direct definition from a pathology reference, rather than a textbook, Libre Pathology states:
“It refers to a cell that is tapered at both ends.”
Use this exam-ready wording, while citing the source honestly:
Spindle cell: “A cell that is tapered at both ends.”
Reference: Libre Pathology, “Spindle cell,” histomorphologic descriptor.

What is a spindle cell along with reference

Reading File
Finding Sources
Searching PubMed

"spindle cell"

Searching the Web

spindle cell definition pathology reference

A spindle cell is a cell that is longer than it is wide and tapered at both ends, giving it a fusiform or spindle-like shape. It is a morphologic descriptor, not a diagnosis. Spindle cells occur in normal tissues, particularly fibroblasts and smooth muscle, and in both benign and malignant tumors.
References
  • Libre Pathology’s definition: “It refers to a cell that is tapered at both ends.”
  • MyPathologyReport’s definition: spindle cells are “cells that are longer than they are wide.”
  • Robbins, Cotran & Kumar Pathologic Basis of Disease describes lesions containing “spindle-shaped fibroblasts and myofibroblasts” and “spindle cells resembling fibroblasts,” illustrating its use as a morphologic term. Robbins, Cotran & Kumar Pathologic Basis of Disease, 11th ed., sections “Miscellaneous Tumors” and “Morphology” of solitary fibrous tumor.

Find verbatim definition

Reading File
Finding Sources
Searching the Web

"Spindle cell" "It refers to a cell that is tapered at both ends"

Searching PubMed

"spindle cell"

Verbatim definition:
“It refers to a cell that is tapered at both ends.”
Reference: Libre Pathology, “Spindle cell”.
It also identifies “spindle cell” as a histomorphologic descriptor used in pathology.

**Spindle cell:** A **fusiform (elongated) cell with tapering ends**, typically resembling a spindle. In pathology, this term describes a **cellular shape** and is commonly seen in cells of mesenchymal origin, such as fibroblasts and smooth-muscle cells. It does not by itself establish whether a lesion is benign or malignant. **Textbook reference:** Kumar V, Abbas AK, Aster JC. *Robbins & Kumar Basic Pathology*. 11th ed. Elsevier; 2022. Chapter 19, “Soft Tissue Tumors.” The morphology table describes fibrous soft-tissue lesions as containing **“spindle to stellate cells.”** is ithis given in the textbook

Reading File
Finding Sources
Finding Sources
Searching PubMed

"spindle cell"

Searching the Web

Robbins Kumar Basic Pathology 11th edition spindle to stellate cells soft tissue tumors

Your credits are exhausted. You can purchase a top-up or subscribe to a plan to continue using Orris. If you're already subscribed, your daily credits will reset tomorrow.
This is a shared conversation. Sign in to Orris to start your own chat.