The Maune Raichle Law Firm

Mesothelioma Adenocarcinoma

Mesothelioma and adenocarcinoma are commonly confused cancers which have lead to a vast number of misdiagnoses. A clear distinction between the two often has to be made as treatments vary and they have radically different causes. Mesothelioma is known to be predominantly caused by exposure to asbestos whereas adenocarcinoma has a great many causes including smoking, genetic factor, radon exposure, and other toxin exposure. Even though adenocarcinoma is believed to be contributed to by asbestos exposure it is not as a rule caused by asbestos like mesothelioma.

Adenocarcinoma is a cancer of epithelial cells; mesothelioma can be a cancer of either epithelial cells or connective tissue specifically located in the mesothelium, which originate in the glandular tissue that lines many organs. Although adenocarcinoma often migrates into the mesothelium, it is not mesothelioma and has a structure which differs from mesothelioma. The two cancers can be differentiated either by visual analysis under high magnification or through analysis or protein markers which differ between the two forms of cancer.

Treatment often varies between the two cancers so it is important for an experienced oncologist to differentiate between the two cancers prior to treatment. Adenocarcinoma is often very aggressive and can begin spreading before it is ever noticed. Symptoms early on are the same for both illnesses, as is their appearance in CAT scans and MRI images which can often lead to further confusion and misdiagnosis. The development of protein marker testing continues to improve the proper diagnosis of these two diseases.