Although heart disease still ranks as America's public health enemy number one, cancer, a distant second, still claims thousands yearly. Luckily, progress has been made in the battle against the disease. Identification of the various types of cancer has allowed researchers to pinpoint hotspots in or on the body that, for reasons not yet clear, are prone to abnormal cell growth. One such type is adenocarcinoma, a fairly common cancer of the cells that make up many of the body's important structures.
Types
Adenocarcinoma is the medical classification for cancers that affect the epithelial tissues, which are located on the outside of any organ (such as the skin) or found lining. Thought to be glandular in origin, the cancer can affect the soft lining of various structures, like the inner rectum, esophagus, and organs such as the colon and lungs. Most adenocarcinomas are benign and can be dealt with effectively; despite the fact adenocarcinomas have an average metastasizing rate, they can be fatal without timely medical intervention.
Prevalence
Because adenocarcinomas effect various structures in the body, each has a different treatment and prognosis. Breast, cervical and vaginal cancers all rank as major concerns of women's health, while prostate cancer affects thousands of men annually. Pancreatic cancer is diagnosed in nearly 50,000 American men and women, with almost half of those cases being terminal. Despite the incidence of these cancers, lung and colon cancer remain the most common known adenocarcinomas.
Lung & Colon Cancers
There's no shortage of medical info on lung cancer: at least 10 percent of the reported cases test positive for being adenocarcinomas. Smoking is considered the primary cause of the disease, with pollution following suit. Lung (and colon) cancer differs from regular adenocarcinomas because the tumors metastasize rapidly, making them hard to treat and exceptionally fatal. Colon cancer is also known as colorectal cancer, since both the colon and rectum are related and affected by the disease. Researchers believe the primary reason of colorectal cancer development is the unhealthy dietary choices prevalent in Westernized societies.
Treatment Options
A variety of treatment methods are available, all dependent on the type, location, and number of cancerous or malignant tumors (benign adenocarcinomas can be surgically removed, since they are not deemed cancerous). Chemotherapy combined with radiation treatment is often the initial option, as both have been used with some degree of success against several cancer types. Tumors are often operable, and once removed, other treatments can then be applied to prevent further growth of tumors.
Prognosis
Success depends on how early patients seek medical attention. Different types of cancer will have a very definite prognoses; breast cancer survivors are on the rise, while chances of successfully treating cervical cancer are slim. In the case of the two common adenocarcinomas, colorectal cancer yields about a 93 percent survival rate, if caught early; that number drops significantly to 8 percent if the cancer reaches the fourth stage. The same is true for lung cancer; stage 1 detection boasts an over 90 percent success rate. As the cancer approaches stage 2, the survival rate drops dramatically.
Tags: colorectal cancer, lung cancer, survival rate, types cancer, various structures