Adenosarcoma

/ˌædɪnoʊsɑrˈkoʊmə/ noun

Definition

A malignant tumor that has both glandular (adenocarcinoma) and sarcomatous (connective tissue) components.

Etymology

From Greek 'aden' (gland) + 'sarx' (flesh) + '-oma' (tumor). This compound term emerged in pathology to describe mixed tumors containing both epithelial and mesenchymal cancer elements.

Kelly Says

Adenosarcomas are rare and tricky because they're essentially two different cancers growing together—the glandular parts behave differently from the sarcoma parts, so doctors have to think like they're treating two tumors in one, which makes diagnosis and treatment incredibly challenging.

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