What Is Adenocarcinoma? Types, Causes, and Treatment
Adenocarcinoma is a type of cancer that forms in mucus-secreting gland cells, which are found in tissues that line internal organs.
When adenocarcinoma spreads from the initial site, it is described as metastatic. (1)
Adenocarcinomas that mestastasize can appear in different parts of the body. Sometimes doctors can’t tell where the cancer started, which makes it harder to know the best treatment. (2)
The different ways that adenocarcinomas metastastize are classified by where they first developed. The following are some of the main categories.
Pancreatic adenocarcinoma is cancer that starts in the ducts of the pancreas, the large gland behind the stomach that helps convert food into fuel. (3)
This type of advanced pancreatic cancer is one of the hardest to treat, with a five-year survival rate of 8.5 percent. (4)
Pancreatic adenocarcinomas often metastasize, spreading within the abdominal cavity, to the bones, or to organs such as the liver, lungs, and brain. (5)
Signs and symptoms of metastatic pancreatic adenocarcinoma may include:
Adenocarcinoma is the most common type of non-small-cell lung cancer, accounting for about half of all cases. (7) It usually develops in smaller airways in the outer portion of the lung. (8)
When adenocarcinoma in a lung metastasizes, cancer cells typically spread to the other lung or to the adrenal glands, bones, brain, or liver. (9)
Lung adenocarcinoma tends to spread more slowly than other kinds of lung cancer. It’s more likely to develop in women than in men. (8)
Common symptoms are:
Prostate cancer begins in the prostate gland, located just below the bladder in men.
Nearly all prostate cancers are adenocarcinomas. (1) Physicians are often able to diagnose prostate adenocarcinomas early, before the cancer metastasizes.
When prostate metastatic adenocarcinomas do occur, they may develop in areas such as the lymph nodes, bones, liver, lungs, or brain. (11)
Symptoms may include:
Adenocarcinoma is the most common form of esophageal cancer in the United States, usually affecting white men. (13)
This cancer most often starts in the glands that line the lower part of the esophagus, the long tube that runs from the throat to the stomach. (1)
When esophageal adenocarcinomas metastasize, cancer cells may travel to the lymph nodes, lungs, liver, bones, adrenal glands, or brain. (14)
Symptoms may include:
Duodenal adenocarcinoma is a rare and aggressive cancer that begins in the small intestine. (16)
Some symptoms are:
Adenocarcinomas make up about 95 percent of all colon and rectal cancers. (1)
These cancers begin in the intestinal gland cells in the inside lining of the colon, then can metastasize to the liver, lungs, brain, lymph nodes, or lining of the abdominal cavity. (18)
A subtype of this cancer, known as mucinous adenocarcinoma, affects about 10 to 15 percent of people with colorectal cancer. Mucinous adenocarcinomas are characterized by excess mucus secretion. They’re usually diagnosed at a later stage than adenocarcinomas, and the outlook isn’t as good. (19)
Symptoms of metastatic adenocarcinoma of the colon may include:
Most breast cancers are adenocarcinomas because the areas where tumors typically develop (the milk ducts and lobules) contain a lot of glandular tissue. (21)
Breast adenocarcinomas can metastasize to the liver, brain, bones, or lungs. (22)
Symptoms of metastatic breast adenocarcinoma can include:
In a small number of cases, doctors may have trouble identifying the original site of a metastatic cancer, since few tumors have specific features that reveal where they started.
When doctors can’t tell where a metastatic adenocarcinoma started, they call it a metastatic adenocarcinoma of unknown primary.
Scientists estimate that adenocarcinomas account for around 60 percent of metastatic cancers of unknown primary. (2)
Doctors don’t know exactly what causes adenocarcinoma that metastasizes, but they believe that, as with other cancers, changes (mutations) in the DNA of cells disrupt normal function. (24)
Risk factors for metastatic adenocarcinoma depend on the type, but may include:
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Doctors may use one or several tests to diagnose metastatic adenocarcinoma. These include:
Doctors “stage” a cancer to determine its extent and help form a treatment plan. There are different staging systems for metastatic adenocarcinoma, depending on the type.
In general, many of these cancers are staged using the following categories:
Sometimes, doctors add a letter or another number to the stage to describe the cancer in more detail. (24,27)
Treatment for adenocarcinoma that has metastasized depends on where the cancer began in the body as well as overall therapy goals.
For instance, some people with advanced cancer might choose only to undergo treatments to make them more comfortable, while others may want to pursue aggressive therapies in an attempt to cure the disease.
Treatment options may include:
Other therapies may be available beyond the ones listed above; a doctor can outline all the options available to each patient.
Participating in a clinical trial can be another way to receive novel treatments not yet in widespread use. ClinicalTrials.gov is a government-run database of trials searchable by location. (1,28)
Adenocarcinoma can be considered fast-growing or slow-growing, depending on how long the cancer takes to metastasize.
For instance, lung adenocarcinomas tend to metastasize more slowly than other forms of lung cancer. (29)
Adenocarcinoma is a subtype of carcinoma, with the differences in the two terms coming down to the types of tissue affected.
Carcinoma, the most common kind of cancer, starts in the epithelial tissue that lines internal organs like the liver and kidneys. Adenocarcinoma is a more specific term that refers to a carcinoma that begins in the mucus-secreting glands in epithelial tissue.
Each type of cancer can metastasize from a wide range of primary sites to other areas of the body, and they’re sometimes treated similarly. (1,30)
Mesothelioma is a type of cancer that develops in the mesothelium, the thin layer of tissue that covers most of the internal organs. Most cases of mesothelioma affect the tissue that surrounds the lungs.
Adenocarcinoma and mesothelioma can have overlapping symptoms, but they are different kinds of cancer. Lung adenocarcinomas affect the glandular cells within lung tissue. Mesothelioma develops in the mesothelium, outside the lungs.
Mesothelioma is almost always caused by exposure to asbestos, while lung adenocarcinoma involves other factors, such as tobacco use. (31,32)
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