What Is Poorly Differentiated Adenocarcinoma?

Poorly differentiated adenocarcinoma is a serious condition that can threaten the life of a patient. Patients with this type of cancer may have a quickly growing tumor that is difficult to completely remove. Adenocarcinoma can attack many different systems, including the internal organs, the breasts, the lymph nodes and the skin. The prognosis for this type of cancer depends a great deal on the system in which the cancer is first found, as well as how differentiated the cancerous cells are.

Doctors will take a biopsy of a patient’s tumor to determine how differentiated the cancer cells are. Looking at the cells under a microscope will reveal whether they seem similar to healthy cells or have many mutations and poorly developed organelles. Cells that develop with many mutations and those that do not mature properly are often said to be poorly differentiated adenocarcinoma cells, because the various parts of these cells are not clearly defined.

Patients with this type of adenocarcinoma are often at risk from their cancer. These cells divide quickly and do not respond to proximity triggers that prevent normal cells from dividing. The cancerous cells also do not die off naturally, which allows the cancerous tumor to grow quickly. This cancer grows more rapidly than other types of adenocarcinoma, which means it can quickly take over organs and move through the patient’s body, spreading to nearby systems.

Aggressive treatment is needed to increase the chances that a patient will survive poorly differentiated adenocarcinoma. These cells may take over rapidly, which means time is of the essence when developing a treatment plan for a patient’s cancer. Chemotherapy, surgery, radiation and other treatments may all be used in an attempt to get the cancer under control. Alternative treatments may be used alongside standard treatments, because these can increase a patient’s odds of survival.

Though poorly differentiated adenocarcinoma is usually indicative of a severe form of cancer, there are many factors aside from the differentiation of the cells that affect a patient’s prognosis. This type of cancer can occur in many different parts of the body, and the affected organ has a strong influence on how likely it is for the patient to successfully fight off the cancer. Depending on the area in which the cancer is present, the diagnosis of this condition may be further divided into various levels of poor differentiation.