Adenocarcinoma is the type of cancer cell found in 90 to 95 percent of colon cancer cases. Adenocarcinoma forms from the cells that help produce the mucus that line the colon or rectum.
Other Types of Colorectal TumorsÂ
Carcinoid tumors and neuroendocrine tumors can rarely form in the gastrointestinal tract and usually grow slowly, but their prognosis depends on their type and where they began.
Gastrointestinal stromal tumors can form anywhere in the digestive tract. Rarely, they form in the colon. For more about these tumors, see the sarcoma section.
Lymphomas are cancers of immune system cells. They rarely begin in the colon or rectum. For more information about lymphomas, see the leukemias, lymphomas, and myelomas section.
Recurrent colorectal cancer is cancer that has disappeared after treatment but now has come back, either in or near the colon or rectum, or in other organs.
Precancerous Conditions
- A polyp or adenoma is not cancer, but an abnormal growth in the colon or rectum that can lead to colorectal cancer. Some polyps lead to cancer, and some do not.
- Dysplasia is not cancer, but abnormal cells growing in the colon or rectum that could turn into cancer. These cells are usually found in people who have had diseases that cause inflammation of the colon, such as Crohn’s disease or ulcerative colitis.
Learn more about colorectal cancer:
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