Canadian Medical Guide > Diseases > Neoplasms > Neoplasms by Histologic Type > Neoplasms, Glandular and Epithelial > Carcinoma > Adenocarcinoma Terms and Definitions




Adenocarcinoma

Medical Definition: A malignant epithelial tumor with a glandular organization.
Guide Notes: coord IM with precoord organ/neopl term (IM)
Also Called: Adenocarcinoma, Basal Cell,Adenocarcinoma, Oxyphilic,Adenocarcinoma, Tubular,Carcinoma, Cribriform,Carcinoma, Granular Cell
Adenocarcinoma Categories.
Canadian Medical Guide Definition Adenocarcinoma, Bronchiolo-Alveolar - A carcinoma thought to be derived from epithelium of terminal bronchioles, in which the neoplastic tissue extends along the alveolar walls and grows in small masses within the alveoli. Involvement may be uniformly diffuse and massive, or nodular, or lobular. The neoplastic cells are cuboidal or columnar and form papillary structures. Mucin may be demonstrated in some of the cells and in the material in the alveoli, which also includes denuded cells. Metastases in regional lymph nodes, and in even more distant sites, are known to occur, but are infrequent. (From Stedman, 25th ed)
Canadian Medical Guide Definition Adenocarcinoma, Clear Cell - An adenocarcinoma characterized by the presence of varying combinations of clear and hobnail-shaped tumor cells. There are three predominant patterns described as tubulocystic, solid, and papillary. These tumors, usually located in the female reproductive organs, have been seen more frequently in young women since 1970 as a result of the association with intrauterine exposure to diethylstilbestrol. (From Holland et al., Cancer Medicine, 3d ed)
Canadian Medical Guide Definition Adenocarcinoma, Follicular - An adenocarcinoma of the thyroid gland, in which the cells are arranged in the form of follicles. (From Dorland, 27th ed)
Canadian Medical Guide Definition Adenocarcinoma, Mucinous - An adenocarcinoma producing mucin in significant amounts. (From Dorland, 27th ed)
Canadian Medical Guide Definition Adenocarcinoma, Papillary - An adenocarcinoma containing finger-like processes of vascular connective tissue covered by neoplastic epithelium, projecting into cysts or the cavity of glands or follicles. It occurs most frequently in the ovary and thyroid gland. (Stedman, 25th ed)
Canadian Medical Guide Definition Adenocarcinoma, Scirrhous - An adenocarcinoma with a hard (Greek skirrhos, hard) structure owing to the formation of dense connective tissue in the stroma. (From Dorland, 27th ed)
Canadian Medical Guide Definition Adenocarcinoma, Sebaceous - A malignant tumor composed of cells showing differentiation toward sebaceous epithelium. The tumor is solitary, firm, somewhat raised, more or less translucent, and covered with normal or slightly verrucose epidermis. It may be yellow or orange. The face and scalp are the commonest sites. The growth can be slow or rapid but metastasis is uncommon. Surgery cures most of the cases. (From Rook et al., Textbook of Dermatology, 4th ed, pp2403-4)
Canadian Medical Guide Definition Carcinoma, Acinar Cell - A malignant tumor arising from secreting cells of a racemose gland, particularly the salivary glands. Racemose (Latin racemosus, full of clusters) refers, as does acinar (Latin acinus, grape), to small saclike dilatations in various glands. Acinar cell carcinomas are usually well differentiated and account for about 13% of the cancers arising in the parotid gland. Lymph node metastasis occurs in about 16% of cases. Local recurrences and distant metastases many years after treatment are common. This tumor appears in all age groups and is most common in women. (Stedman, 25th ed; Holland et al., Cancer Medicine, 3d ed, p1240; from DeVita Jr et al., Cancer: Principles & Practice of Oncology, 3d ed, p575)
Canadian Medical Guide Definition Carcinoma, Adenoid Cystic - Carcinoma characterized by bands or cylinders of hyalinized or mucinous stroma separating or surrounded by nests or cords of small epithelial cells. When the cylinders occur within masses of epithelial cells, they give the tissue a perforated, sievelike, or cribriform appearance. Such tumors occur in the mammary glands, the mucous glands of the upper and lower respiratory tract, and the salivary glands. They are malignant but slow-growing, and tend to spread locally via the nerves. (Dorland, 27th ed)
Canadian Medical Guide Definition Carcinoma, Adrenal Cortical - A malignant neoplasm of adrenal cortical cells demonstrating partial or complete histological and functional differentiation. They are rare, comprising between only 0.05% and 0.2% of all cancers. Women develop functional adrenal cortical carcinomas more commonly than men, but men develop nonfunctioning ones more often than women. Hypercortisolism is the most common presentation for this cancer. Virilism and Cushing's syndrome may also result. (From DeVita Jr et al., Cancer: Principles & Practice of Oncology, 3d ed, p1286)
Canadian Medical Guide Definition Carcinoma, Ductal - Malignant neoplasms involving the ductal systems of any of a number of organs, such as the MAMMARY GLANDS, the PANCREAS, the PROSTATE, or the LACRIMAL GLAND.
Canadian Medical Guide Definition Carcinoma, Endometrioid - An adenocarcinoma characterized by the presence of cells resembling the glandular cells of the ENDOMETRIUM. It is a common histological type of ovarian carcinoma and endometrial carcinoma. There is a high frequency of cooccurence of this form of adenocarcinoma in both tissues.
Canadian Medical Guide Definition Carcinoma, Hepatocellular - A primary malignant neoplasm of epithelial liver cells. It ranges from a well-differentiated tumor with EPITHELIAL CELLS indistinguishable from normal HEPATOCYTES to a poorly differentiated neoplasm. The cells may be uniform or markedly pleomorphic, or form GIANT CELLS. Several classification schemes have been suggested.
Canadian Medical Guide Definition Carcinoma, Intraductal, Noninfiltrating - A noninvasive (noninfiltrating) carcinoma of the breast characterized by a proliferation of malignant epithelial cells confined to the mammary ducts or lobules, without light-microscopy evidence of invasion through the basement membrane into the surrounding stroma.
Canadian Medical Guide Definition Carcinoma, Islet Cell - A primary malignant neoplasm of the pancreatic ISLET CELLS. Usually it involves the non-INSULIN-producing cell types, the PANCREATIC ALPHA CELLS and the pancreatic delta cells (D CELLS) in GLUCAGONOMA and SOMATOSTATINOMA, respectively.
Canadian Medical Guide Definition Carcinoma, Lobular - A infiltrating (invasive) breast cancer, relatively uncommon, accounting for only 5%-10% of breast tumors in most series. It is often an area of ill-defined thickening in the breast, in contrast to the dominant lump characteristic of ductal carcinoma. It is typically composed of small cells in a linear arrangement with a tendency to grow around ducts and lobules. There is likelihood of axillary nodal involvement with metastasis to meningeal and serosal surfaces. (DeVita Jr et al., Cancer: Principles & Practice of Oncology, 3d ed, p1205)
Canadian Medical Guide Definition Carcinoma, Mucoepidermoid - A tumor of both low- and high-grade malignancy. The low-grade grow slowly, appear in any age group, and are readily cured by excision. The high-grade behave aggressively, widely infiltrate the salivary gland and produce lymph node and distant metastases. Mucoepidermoid carcinomas account for about 21% of the malignant tumors of the parotid gland and 10% of the sublingual gland. They are the most common malignant tumor of the parotid. (From DeVita Jr et al., Cancer: Principles & Practice of Oncology, 3d ed, p575; Holland et al., Cancer Medicine, 3d ed, p1240)
Canadian Medical Guide Definition Carcinoma, Renal Cell - Carcinoma of the renal parenchyma usually occurring in middle age or later and composed of tubular cells in varying arrangements.
Canadian Medical Guide Definition Carcinoma, Signet Ring Cell - A poorly differentiated adenocarcinoma in which the nucleus is pressed to one side by a cytoplasmic droplet of mucus. It usually arises in the gastrointestinal system.
Canadian Medical Guide Definition Carcinoma, Skin Appendage - A malignant tumor of the skin appendages, which include the hair, nails, sebaceous glands, sweat glands, and the mammary glands. (From Dorland, 27th ed)
Canadian Medical Guide Definition Cholangiocarcinoma - A malignant tumor arising from the intrahepatic bile duct epithelium. It is composed of ducts lined by cuboidal or columnar cells that do not contain bile, with abundant stroma. (From Holland et al., Cancer Medicine, 3d ed, p1455; Stedman, 25th ed)
Canadian Medical Guide Definition Cystadenocarcinoma - A malignant neoplasm derived from glandular epithelium, in which cystic accumulations of retained secretions are formed. The neoplastic cells manifest varying degrees of anaplasia and invasiveness, and local extension and metastases occur. Cystadenocarcinomas develop frequently in the ovaries, where pseudomucinous and serous types are recognized. (Stedman, 25th ed)
Canadian Medical Guide Definition Klatskin's Tumor - Adenocarcinoma of the common hepatic duct bifurcation. These tumors are generally small, sharply localized, and seldom metastasizing. G. Klatskin's original review of 13 cases was published in 1965. Once thought to be relatively uncommon, tumors of the bifurcation of the bile duct now appear to comprise more than one-half of all bile duct cancers. (From Holland et al., Cancer Medicine, 3d ed, p1457)
Canadian Medical Guide Definition Paget's Disease, Extramammary - A rare cutaneous neoplasm that occurs in the elderly. It develops more frequently in women and predominantly involves apocrine gland-bearing areas, especially the vulva, scrotum, and perianal areas. The lesions develop as erythematous scaly patches that progress to crusted, pruritic, erythematous plaques. The clinical differential diagnosis includes squamous cell carcinoma in situ and superficial fungal infection. It is generally thought to be an adenocarcinoma of the epidermis, from which it extends into the contiguous epithelium of hair follicles and eccrine sweat ducts. (DeVita Jr et al., Cancer: Principles & Practice of Oncology, 3d ed, p1478)

Adenocarcinoma Medical Definitions and Terms

CANADIAN MEDICAL GUIDE

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