Adenocarcinoma is a cancer that originates in glandular tissue. The International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems (most commonly known by the abbreviation ICD) provides codes to classify Diseases The following is a list of codes for International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems. The International Classification of Diseases for Oncology (ICD-O is a domain specific extension of the International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems The International Classification of Diseases for Oncology (ICD-O is a domain specific extension of the International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems A gland is an organ in an animal's body that synthesizes a substance for release such as Hormones or Breast milk, often into the Bloodstream This tissue is also part of a larger tissue category known as epithelial tissue. In biology and medicine epithelium is a tissue composed of cells that line the cavities and surfaces of structures throughout the body Epithelial tissue includes skin, glands and a variety of other tissue that lines the cavities and organs of the body. Epithelium is derived embryologically from ectoderm, endoderm and mesoderm. In biology and medicine epithelium is a tissue composed of cells that line the cavities and surfaces of structures throughout the body The ectoderm is the start of a tissue that covers the body surfaces Endoderm, (sometimes called Entoderm) is one of the Germ layers formed during animal Embryogenesis. One of the three Germ layers found in the Embryos of Animals more complex than Cnidarians making them Triploblastic. To be classified as adenocarcinoma, the cells do not necessarily need to be part of a gland, as long as they have secretory properties. A gland is an organ in an animal's body that synthesizes a substance for release such as Hormones or Breast milk, often into the Bloodstream This form of carcinoma can occur in some higher mammals, including humans. ^[1] Well differentiated adenocarcinomas tend to resemble the glandular tissue that they are derived from, while poorly differentiated may not. By staining the cells from a biopsy, a pathologist will determine whether the tumor is an adenocarcinoma or some other type of cancer. Staining is an auxiliary Technique used in Microscopy to enhance contrast in the microscopic image Adenocarcinomas can arise in many tissues of the body due to the ubiquitous nature of glands within the body. While each gland may not be secreting the same substance, as long as there is an exocrine function to the cell, it is considered glandular and its malignant form is therefore named adenocarcinoma. Exocrine glands are Glands that secrete their products ( Enzymes into ducts (duct glands Endocrine gland tumors, such as a VIPoma, an insulinoma, a pheochromocytoma, etc, are typically not referred to as adenocarcinomas, but rather, are often called neuroendocrine tumors. The endocrine system is an integrated system of small organs that involve the release of extracellular signaling molecules known as Hormones The endocrine system is instrumental A VIPoma (also known as Verner Morrison syndrome, after the physicians who first described it) is a rare (1 per 10000000 per year Endocrine Tumor An insulinoma is a Tumour of the Pancreas derived from the Beta cells which while retaining the ability to synthesize and secrete Insulin is autonomous A phaeochromocytoma ( pheochromocytoma in the US is a Neuroendocrine tumor of the medulla of the Adrenal glands (originating in the Chromaffin Neuroendocrine tumors, or more properly gastro-entero-pancreatic or gastroenteropancreatic neuroendocrine Tumors ( GEP-NETs) are cancers of If the glandular tissue is abnormal, but benign, it is said to be an adenoma. An adenoma is a collection of growths (-oma of glandular origin Benign adenomas typically do not invade other tissue and rarely metastasize. Metastasis ( Greek: displacement μετά=next + στάσις=placement, plural metastases) sometimes abbreviated mets, Malignant adenocarcinomas invade other tissues and often metastasize given enough time to do so.

Diagnostic significance

A diagnosis of adenocarcinoma which is not further described, known as adenocarcinoma not otherwise specified and adenocarcinoma NOS, is significant because it indicates a cancerous process is present. Cancer (medical term Malignant Neoplasm) is a class of Diseases in which a group of cells display uncontrolled However, it is not very useful for treatment decisions and prognosis, as these are determined by the tissue from which the tumour cells arose, i. e. the tissue of origin; an adenocarcinoma of the colon has a different prognosis and treatment than an adenocarcinoma of the ovary. Colorectal cancer, also called colon cancer or large bowel cancer, includes Cancerous growths in the colon, Rectum and Ovarian cancer is a cancerous growth arising from an Ovary. The cancer most commonly forms in the lining of the ovary (resulting in epithelial

Adenocarcinoma not otherwise specified is often a preliminary diagnosis and can frequently be clarified by a pathologist with the use of immunohistochemistry. Pathology (from Greek grc πάθος pathos, "fate harm" and grc -λογία -logia) is the study and Immunohistochemistry or IHC refers to the process of localizing proteins in cells of a tissue section exploiting the principle of antibodies binding specifically ^[2]

Cancer for which a primary site cannot be found is called cancer of unknown primary. Metastasis ( Greek: displacement μετά=next + στάσις=placement, plural metastases) sometimes abbreviated mets,

Histopathology

Examples of tissues where adenocarcinomas may arise:

• breast
• colon
  
  

  Gross appearance of a colectomy specimen containing two adenomatous polyps (the brownish oval tumors above the labels, attached to the normal beige lining by a stalk) and one invasive colorectal carcinoma (the crater-like, reddish, irregularly-shaped tumor located above the label). The breast is the upper Ventral region of an animal’s Torso, particularly that of Mammals including Human beings. Gross examination or "grossing" is the process by which Pathology specimens are inspected with the naked eye to obtain diagnostic information while being Colectomy consists of the surgical Resection of any extent of the large intestine ( colon) A colorectal polyp (or colon polyp) is a fleshy growth ( polyp) occurring on the lining of the Colon or Rectum.
  

  Histopathologic image of colonic carcinoid stained by hematoxylin and eosin.
  The vast majority of colorectal cancer is an adenocarcinoma. Colorectal cancer, also called colon cancer or large bowel cancer, includes Cancerous growths in the colon, Rectum and This is because the colon had numerous glands within the tissue. Normal colonic glands tend to be simple and tubular in appearance with a mixture of mucus secreting goblet cells and water absorbing cells. In vertebrates mucus is a slippery secretion produced by and covering Mucous membranes It is a viscous Colloid containing Antiseptic enzymes (such as Goblet cells are Glandular simple columnar epithelial cells whose sole function is to secrete Mucus. These glands are called glands because they secrete a substance into the lumen of the colon, this substance being mucus. The purpose of these glands are twofold. The first is to absorb water from the feces back into the blood. The second purpose is to secrete mucus into the colon lumen to lubricate the now dehydrated feces. This is crucial as a failure to lubricate the feces can result in colonic damage by the feces as it passes towards the rectum. ^[3]

When these glands undergo a number of changes as the genetic level, they proceed in a normal and predictable manner as they move from benign to an invasive, malignant colon cancer. In the research paper, Vogelstein, et al, suggested that colon cells lose the APC tumor suppressor gene and become a small polyp. Next, they suggested that k-Ras becomes activated and the polyp becomes a small, benign, adenoma. The adenoma, lacking the "carcinoma" attached to the end of it, suggests that it is a benign version of the malignant adenocarcinoma. The gastroenterologist uses a colonoscopy to find and remove these adenomas and polyps to prevent them from continuing to acquire genetic changes that will lead to an invasive adenocarcinoma. Volgelstein et al went on to suggest that loss of the DCC gene and of p53 result in a malignant adenocarcinoma. p53 (also known as protein 53 or tumor protein 53) is a Transcription factor encoded by the TP53 gene ^[4]

Grossly, one will see a mass that looks of a different color than the surrounding tissue. Bleeding from the tumor is often apparent as the tumor tends to grow blood vessels into it in a haphazard manner via secretion of a number of angiogenesis promoting factors such as VEGF. Angiogenesis is a physiological process involving the growth of new Blood vessels from pre-existing vessels Vascular endothelial growth factor ( VEGF) a sub-family of Growth factors, more specifically of Platelet-derived growth factor family of cystine-knot growth Histologically, a glandular structure, similar to the healthy normal surrounding glands may be seen. If they look very similar, this is a low grade, well differentiated tumor. Often these glands will be disorganized and they will be seen growing back to back. However, if the tumor does not look like a gland anymore, it is a high grade tumor with poor differentiation. Regardless of the grade, malignant tumors tend to have a large nucleus with prominent nucleoli. There will also be a noticeable increase in the incidence of mitoses, or cell divisions. Mitosis is the process in which a Eukaryotic cell separates the Chromosomes in its Cell nucleus, into two identical sets in two daughter nuclei

• lung

Currently, the most common type of lung cancer is the adenocarcinoma. lung is the essential Respiration organ in air-breathing Animals including most Tetrapods a few Fish and a few Snails The most primitive ^[5] This cancer usually is seen peripherally in the lungs, as opposed to small cell lung cancer and squamous cell lung cancer, which both tend to be more centrally located. Lung cancer is a Disease of uncontrolled Cell growth in tissues of the Lung. In Anatomy, squamous epithelium (from Latin squama, "scale" is an Epithelium characterised by its most superficial layer consisting ^[6] The adenocarcinoma has an increased incidence in smokers, but is also the most common type of lung cancer seen in non-smokers. Adenocarcinoma of the lung tends to stain mucin positive as it is derived from the mucus producing glands of the lungs. Similar to other adenocarcinoma, if this tumor is well differentiated (low grade) it will resemble the normal glandular structure. Poorly differentiated adenocarcinoma will not resemble the normal glands (high grade) and will be detected by seeing that they stain positive for mucin (which the glands produce). ^[7][1]

• prostate
• stomach
• pancreas (99% of pancreatic cancers are ductal adenocarcinomas^[8])
• cervix
• vagina
• urachus

Etymology

The term adenocarcinoma is derived from 'adeno' meaning 'pertaining to a gland' and 'carcinoma', which describes a cancer that has developed in the epithelial cells. The prostate (from Greek προστάτης - prostates, literally "one who stands before" "protector" "guardian" is a In Human anatomy, the stomach is a J-shaped hollow muscular organ of the Gastrointestinal tract involved in the second phase of Digestion, following The pancreas is a Gland organ in the digestive and Endocrine system of Vertebrates. The cervix (from Latin "neck" is the lower narrow portion of the Uterus where it joins with the top end of the Vagina. The vagina (from Latin, literally " Sheath " or " Scabbard " is a fibromuscular tubular tract leading from the Uterus The urachus is an embryological canal connecting the Urinary bladder of the fetus with the Allantois, a structure that contributes to the formation of the umbilical A carcinoma is any Malignant Cancer that arises from epithelial cells.

References