Adenocarcinoma starts in cells that make up the tissue that covers the outside of the body and lines the insides of organs (epithelial tissues). Most adenocarcinomas start in epithelial tissues. Some types of adenocarcinoma start in glands, such as the lining of the gastrointestinal tract, but others are not glandular. This is why it is important for doctors to know exactly what type of adenocarcinoma a patient has.
Doctors use a scale to rank the severity of cancer and determine the treatment options. Grading is based on how abnormal the tumor cells and tissue look, with a lower score indicating less abnormal cells and tissues and a better prognosis. When a tumor is poorly differentiated, it means the cells are more abnormal than those of low-grade adenocarcinoma and are more likely to grow quickly and spread.
A grading system is used by most cancer centers to identify the best treatment for each patient. This system uses a 1-4 scale to rate the severity of the disease and predict how well a person will respond to chemotherapy. It is also a good way to evaluate a patient’s progress and help predict whether treatment will be effective.
For many cancers, determining the grade of the cancer is one of the most important factors in predicting how the disease will progress. A higher grade typically indicates a more aggressive and difficult-to-treat tumor.
A diagnosis of adenocarcinoma is usually made by performing a biopsy. The biopsy involves cutting out a small piece of the tumor and looking at it under a microscope to see how the cells are organized. The biopsy also helps determine if the cancer has spread, or metastasized, to other parts of the body.
Most people with adenocarcinoma are in Stage 1 of the disease, meaning that the cancer has not grown deeply into other tissues or spread to lymph nodes. However, some people develop metastatic adenocarcinoma, which is a more advanced form of the disease that has spread to other parts of the body.
Metastatic adenocarcinoma may occur anywhere in the digestive tract, and it can be found at any time during a person’s life. Some people who have metastatic adenocarcinoma live for years, while others die very soon after their diagnosis. The prognosis for metastatic adenocarcinoma depends on where the cancer started in the body, how far it has spread and how much treatment a person receives.
People who have poorly differentiated adenocarcinoma of the digestive tract usually have a poor prognosis. This is because the cells in this type of cancer have more characteristics of germ cell tumors, and some of these tumors are treated differently than other types of adenocarcinoma. Patients with this type of cancer should be evaluated by a specialist and given a trial of chemotherapy. Several studies have shown that cisplatin-based regimens are effective in reducing the size of the tumor and improving survival. Carboplatin and irinotecan-based regimens have also been shown to be effective.
