Difference Between Carcinoma and Adenocarcinoma

Carcinoma vs Adenocarcinoma

The word cancer is one thing that most patients are afraid to hear from their doctors. I am not talking about a constellation here, but rather, a disease condition. It is a word that could strike fear to the hearts of those who hear it or something to that effect. True enough, most individuals who have been diagnosed with cancer are faced with a humongous task of fighting that disease, a seemingly insurmountable mountain to climb. This is because there has never been a discovered cure for cancer, and the most that physicians can do is to use a combination of therapies to kill the cancer cells before they has a time to spread elsewhere in the body.

Actually, what then is cancer? The simplest explanation would be this. It is a common word used to denote an irreversible mutation of normal cells in some parts of our body. This indicates that a seemingly normal and healthy cell can just turn into a mutated and dangerous form due to a number of causes. What makes it dangerous is that rather than die out when it has served its purpose, the cell becomes aggressive and lives on. It can affect the other cells, cause damage to the surrounding areas, and can even penetrate tissues around it. This is the nature of a cancer cell.

The disease condition is named according to the area where the cells mutate, for example, lung cancer, skin cancer, leukemia, or prostate cancer. But this discussion will just limit itself to the medical term carcinoma, and its difference with that of the term adenocarcinoma.

First is carcinoma. It is the medical term used to denote cancer. Basically it is translated as a malignant tumor. By malignant it means that the tumor is cancerous and can cause serious problems to the body. Carcinoma here is the general term used to indicate the presence of mutated cells or cancer cells in the body, without indicating where in the body the malignancy is located. The addition of a prefix, for example, adenocarcinoma, makes the term more specific and focused. Here lies the difference.

Adenocarcinoma indicates malignancy in the glands. ‘Adeno’ here indicates glandular tissues. The cancer cells affected are the epithelial cells that line a glandular tissue. You should take note that a glandular tissue or cell is a part of the body that specializes in secreting substances into the body, for example, the mammary glands.

That is the difference between the two terms. You can read further into this topic since basic details are only provided here.

Summary:

1. Cancer indicates the abnormal growth or malignancy of cells that are mutated and cause damage to the body.

2. Carcinoma is the general term used to indicate a malignancy or malignant tumor.

3. Adenocarcinoma is the term used to indicate a malignancy in the epithelial cells lining of glandular tissues, which are tissues that secrete substances into the body.

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