adenoma
Meaning of adenoma: Though benign, some adenomas are still removed or monitored closely, since a subset carries a meaningful risk of transforming into cancer over time.
Definition of adenoma
An adenoma is a benign, meaning noncancerous, tumor that arises from glandular epithelial tissue, the type of tissue that lines many organs and structures throughout the body and often has a secretory function. Adenomas can develop in numerous locations, including the colon, thyroid, pituitary gland, and adrenal gland, among others, and they are generally named according to the organ or tissue in which they arise.
Most adenomas grow slowly and cause no symptoms, though some produce effects related to their location or, in certain cases, by secreting excess hormone, such as an adenoma of the pituitary or adrenal gland overproducing a particular hormone.
Because certain types of adenoma, particularly some found in the colon, carry a recognized potential to develop into cancer over an extended period if left in place, adenomas identified during screening or evaluation are often removed and examined under a microscope to confirm the diagnosis and rule out early cancerous change.
How adenoma is built
- aden/o Combining form · Greek gland
- -oma Suffix · Greek tumour, mass, swelling
A medical term is read from its ending backwards: the suffix first, then the prefix, then the root. See all 223 word parts.
Used in a sentence
A colonoscopy identified an adenoma that was removed and sent for pathological examination.
Good to know
An adenoma is benign by definition, but some types, particularly certain colon adenomas, carry a meaningful risk of progressing to cancer over time if not removed, a risk that varies by location.
Word origin
Where “adenoma” comes from
Formed from Greek aden, meaning gland, and the suffix -oma, meaning tumor or mass.