Talk:Small-blue-round-cell tumor

I believe the title should be "Small round blue cell tumor" not "Small blue round cell tumor," but i couldn't figure out how to change it myself. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 110.174.64.8 (talk) 10:55, 6 September 2010 (UTC)

Both are common, but it does seem that your word order is more common. — kwami (talk) 19:49, 9 March 2011 (UTC)

Hyphenation

Given the general consensus that we should hyphenate "small" when we don't mean to say that the tumor is small, this name was still a little odd. Per normal English punctuation, it should be small-blue-round-cell tumour or small-round-blue-cell tumour, and this is found in Aberrant leukocyte common antigen expression in metastatic small cell lung carcinoma: a rare finding and a potential diagnostic pitfall (Houreih et al. 2007). It's clear that many authors have trouble with the name, given how many put it in scare quotes. There are all sorts of other remedies. Ignoring caps, I've found:

no punctuation:

small blue round cell tumor

small round blue cell tumor

with hyphens:

small blue round-cell tumor

small round blue-cell tumor

small-blue-round-cell tumor

with commas:

small blue, round cell tumor

small round, blue cell tumors

small, round blue cell tumor

small, blue, round cell tumor

small, round, blue cell tumor

with hyphens and commas:

small, blue round-cell tumor

small, round blue-cell tumors

small, blue, round-cell tumor

small, round, blue-cell tumor

small-, round-, blue-cell tumors

with quotes:

small “blue round cell” tumor

“small round blue” cell tumors

“small round blue cell” tumor

“small blue round cell” tumor

with quotes and commas:

“small, blue, round cell” tumor

“small, round, blue cell” tumor

with parentheses:

small round (blue) cell tumors

and apparently many more.

Given that mess, and that many of these 'remedies' don't actually resolve the ambiguity in the name (that it's not a small tumor), I've just gone with small-, round-, blue-cell tumor (Evidence for neural origin and PAS-positive variants of the malignant small cell tumor of thoracopulmonary region (" Askin tumor"), Linnoila et al. 1986; Extracranial primitive neuroectodermal tumors. The memorial sloan-kettering cancer center experience, Kushner et al. 1991; Malignant peripheral neuroectodermal tumours of childhood and adolescence, Schmidt et al. 1985; Molecular differential pathology of rhabdomyosarcoma, Scrable et al. 1989; Leu-7 in small cell neoplasms. An immunohistochemical study with ultrastructural correlations, Michels et al. 1987; Extraosseous Ewing's Sarcoma: 25 Years Later Zagar et al, Journal of Clinical Oncology 2008; Case Report: An Unusual Case of Adrenal Neuroblastoma in Pregnancy, Refaat et al., The Oncologist 2008; Extra-skeletal Ewing's sarcoma in adults: Presentation of two cases, Lipski et al, 2010) — kwami (talk) 19:49, 9 March 2011 (UTC)

I think that using both commas and hyphens is too much. I picked commas, but would be equally happy with hyphens. When (if?) the sources make up their minds, we can change it to match them later. WhatamIdoing (talk) 06:04, 4 June 2011 (UTC)

Normal English punctuation rules would call for hyphens. Commas would mean that it's a cell tumour that's small, round, and blue. — kwami (talk) 07:04, 4 June 2011 (UTC)