Adenocarcinoma Cancer
What is
Adenocarcinoma Cancer?
Adenocarcinoma is the most common type of lung cancer. Adenocarcinoma is
the most common
cause of lung cancer in women and nonsmokers and is the
most common cell type associated with
lung scarring from other causes
("scar carcinoma"). Lung cancer is a very serious form of cancer
(classified as a “carcinoma”) that is often lethal, especially if the
cancer has already spread to
other bodily organs. The term metastasis
refers to cancerous cells breaking off from the original
(primary) tumor
and causing cancer to grow in new areas, forming metastases (secondary
tumors). There are two main types of lung cancer: small cell carcinoma and
non-small cell
carcinoma.
Under normal circumstances, lung cells reproduce in an orderly fashion to maintain tissue health
and to repair injuries. However, when growth control is lost and cells divide too much and too fast,
a cellular mass - or tumor - is formed. If the tumor is confined to a few cell layers (for example,
surface cells) and it does not invade surrounding tissues or organs, it is considered benign. By
contrast, if the tumor spreads to surrounding tissues or organs, it is considered malignant, or
cancerous. If cancerous cells break away from the original tumor, travel, and grow within other
body parts- such as the brain, bone, liver, adrenal glands, the opposite lung, or lymph nodes of
the chest or collarbone (clavicle) regions - the process is known as metastasis.
What is Lung Cancer?
Cancers that begin in the lungs are divided into two major types of lung cancer, non-small cell
lung cancer and small cell lung cancer, depending on how the cells look under a microscope. Each
type of lung cancer grows and spreads in different ways and is treated differently. Lung cancer
information can be confusing since there are many types of lung cancer. CAUSES LUNG CANCER: Smoking is the number one cause of lung cancer. Lung cancer may also be
the most tragic cancer because in most cases, it might have been prevented -- 87% of lung
cancer cases are caused by smoking. The more time and quantity you smoke, the greater your risk
of lung cancer. But if you stop smoking, the risk of lung cancer decreases each year as normal
cells replace abnormal cells. After ten years, the risk drops to a level that is one-third to one-half
of the risk for people who continue to smoke. In addition, quitting smoking greatly reduces the risk
of developing other smoking-related diseases, such as heart disease, stroke, emphysema and
chronic bronchitis.
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