Is there any difference between adenocarcinoma and adenoid cystic carcinoma?
AdCC is a subcategory of adenocarcinoma, as are many cancers. Adenocarcinoma is the generic term for any cancer arising from glandular tissues. (For example, all the types of breast cancer are adenocarcinomas, as are gastric cancers or bowel cancers, with several different types, which usually have the word adenocarcinoma in their name.) There are several distinct types of salivary gland cancers, all of which are subtypes of adenocarcinoma. Among the less common salivary gland cancers is AdCC. Different types of adenocarcinomas behave differently in terms of overall aggressiveness, patterns of spread, etc.
