Adenocarcinoma

by Jason Wasserman MD PhD FRCPC
September 20, 2022

What is adenocarcinoma?

Adenocarcinoma is a type of cancer that starts from glandular tissue. Because glandular tissue can be found throughout the body, there are many different types of adenocarcinoma.  Some of the most common types of adenocarcinoma include prostatic adenocarcinoma, ductal carcinoma of the breast, colorectal adenocarcinoma, adenocarcinoma of the lung, and adenocarcinoma of the stomach.

What causes adenocarcinoma?

The cause depends on the type of adenocarcinoma and the location in the body. For example, adenocarcinoma in the lung is often caused by long-term exposure to tobacco smoke. In contrast, prostatic adenocarcinoma does not have a single cause but is related to a variety of genetic and environmental factors.

 

adenocarcinoma
Adenocarcinoma. This picture shows an example of adenocarcinoma under the microscope.
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