Colon Adenocarcinoma: An Overview

The disease of bowel cancer comes in various forms. Colon Adenocarcinoma is one such form of colorectal cancer. Adeno simply means a gland, and carcinoma refers to a malignant tumor that starts in the epithelial tissues. Colon Adenocarcinoma means a tumor that is malignant and present in the epithelial tissue, especially in a gland like the colon.

Almost all Adenocarcinomas develop from adenomas. An adenoma is a tumor which is benign and develops from the tissues of the epithelium. Colon adenomas are usually referred to as adenomatous polyps. Even though adenomas are not cancerous, they have a potential to become cancerous in a later stage.

Those adenomas which turn into cancer are known as Adenocarcinomas. The simplest way to check whether an adenoma would become cancerous is to check its size. The bigger the adenoma is the better are its chances of becoming cancerous.

If the polyps are larger than two centimeters, they have up to 50 percent chances of being cancerous. A colorectal cancer screening may help an individual identify the cancer and thereby, get it removed before it becomes a problem.

It is important to know that the diagnosis of the colon adenocarcinoma isnt easy. This cancerous form does not show symptoms until it reaches an advanced stage.

In certain cases, by the time the carcinoma is diagnosed, it is found to have been growing for many years. It grows as an adenoma or a non-cancerous polyp first and later transforms into a cancer. Many researches have concluded that by the age of fifty, one out of four people would develop polyps.

There are two subtypes of Adenocarcinoma namely the mucinous adenocarcinoma and the signet ring cell adenocarcinoma. The mucinous adenocarcinoma are those adenocarcinomas which comprise at least sixty percent mucus.

The presence of mucus, according to scientists, allows the cells of cancer to spread faster. That is why it is considered to be aggressive and hard to treat. They comprise about 15 percent of all colon adenocarcinomas.

The terminology signet ring in itself characterizes the appearance of a cancer. To have a look at the cells of cancer, it is essential for them to be put beneath a microscope. For this purpose, they must be stained and dehydrated.

But, the signet ring cell adenocarcinomas have a lot of fat in them and after they are dehydrated, the nucleus gets shoved away to a side of the cell.

Under the microscope, the cell appears like a ring. These adenocarcinomas are known to be more dynamic than any other adenocarcinomas. They are also very hard to be treated successfully. Though the signet ring form is extremely uncommon, it is still accountable for about 0.1 percent of all colon adenocarcinomas.

The colon adenocarcinoma is dangerous. It can even lead to the death of the victim. Therefore, it is advisable that the sufferer gets frequent screenings once the disease has been diagnosed. But its always best to opt for regular screenings to check for symptoms beforehand. So go ahead now, dont miss a check up!