Meaning & use
adenoma
Last updated
Meanings
nouncountablemedicalspecialist
A usually benign tumor that grows from gland tissue or from cells that line glands.
Grammar: Countable: you can say an adenoma or several adenomas; it is often used with the organ name, as in a pituitary adenoma.
Patterns
- an adenoma of something
- a benign adenoma
- remove an adenoma
The scan showed a small adenoma on her adrenal gland.
Most adenomas grow slowly and stay harmless for years.
Doctors removed the adenoma during a routine operation.
nouncountablemedicalspecialist
A growth of this kind in the colon, often found during screening and sometimes able to become cancer.
Grammar: Often used in the phrase colonic adenoma or adenoma of the colon, where the organ follows of or comes before the noun.
Patterns
- a colonic adenoma
- an adenoma of the colon
- detect an adenoma
Screening can detect a colonic adenoma before it turns dangerous.
The doctor said the adenoma in his colon should be checked again in a year.
Removing an adenoma early lowers the risk of colon cancer.
Word forms
| plural | adenomas |
|---|---|
| plural (technical) | adenomata |
Common combinations
- a benign adenoma
- The biopsy confirmed that it was a benign adenoma.
- a pituitary adenoma
- A pituitary adenoma can affect hormone levels.
- remove an adenoma
- Surgeons can usually remove an adenoma with a small procedure.
- an adenoma of the colon
- He had an adenoma of the colon removed last spring.
- develop an adenoma
- Some people develop an adenoma without any symptoms.
Synonyms and how they differ
- polyp
- A polyp is a broader word for any growth sticking out from a surface, and many colon polyps are adenomas, but not all polyps are.
- tumor
- Tumor is the general word for any abnormal growth, benign or malignant, while adenoma names one specific type.
- neoplasm
- Neoplasm is a formal, very general medical term for any new growth; adenoma is narrower and says where the cells come from.
Opposites
Word family
- adenomatous adjective
- Describing tissue that contains or resembles an adenoma.
- adenomatosis noun
- A condition in which many adenomas form, especially in an organ.
- adenoma noun
- The base noun itself; its plural is adenomas or adenomata.
Commonly confused: adenoma or carcinoma? adenoma or adenitis?
adenoma vs carcinoma
A carcinoma is a malignant tumor that can spread, whereas an adenoma is usually benign.
adenoma vs adenitis
Adenitis means inflammation of a gland, not a tumor growing from gland tissue.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'adenoma' correctly?
Choose one answer.
An adenoma is a tumor from gland tissue, so 'a benign adenoma in his colon' fits. The other options treat it as an illness you catch, a liquid, or a sound, which are not its meanings.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “adenoma”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.