Metastatic Papillary Adenocarcinoma

I looked this up in my mosby's medical dictionary this is the definition " malignant neoplasm characterized by small papillae of vascular connective tissue covered by neoplastic epithelium that projects into follicles, glands or cysts. The tumor is most common in the ovaries and thyroid gland. also called polypoid adenocarcinoma" Okay... here's what this means, its a tumor that started either in her ovaries or thyroid glands. The "papillary" part is just a description of what the tumor looks like.. basically it's covered with little finger like tenticles that reach out and go into gland or cysts. the "metastatic" part means that the tumor has spread. Thyroid cancer is somewhat easy to treat with removal of the throid glands, radiation and chemo if necessary. ovarian cancer is more difficult to treat as it is most often not caught until it has progressed to a later stage. If you need anymore info about treatment, chemo etc.. please PM me. I was a cancer nurse for 6.5 years and have a little bit of experience with it. Please try to stay positive and upbeat about everything. I have seen the difference that a positive attitude makes with cancer. Please give your MIL and husband my best wishes. You all are in my prayers. M.

To piggyback on the response of the other person, your MIL might have cancer in the nipple or in a milk duct in the nipple area. She may be tight lipped abouot this as it is a shock to her and she has a lot to grasp in a very short time. Your MIL might be wrestling with the thought of a breast mastectomy or a lumpectomy depending on the cancer and how it will affect her personally and emotionally. I don't know how old your MIL is but she may be from the era when people did not talk much about health and female issues to other people. Be patient with her and be there if she does want to talk to you about it. You are doing great by asking and doing research to answer your own questions. Check the American Cancer Society site as they may have info or get you in touch with someone in your area to help you understand. Good luck to you and your MIL. I will say a prayer or two for the family.

i do a little search and i didn't find with the exactly words you ask for but i do find this definitions hope it helps you a little

papillary :pertaining to or resembling a papilla, or nipple

metastatic

1. Pathology Transmission of pathogenic microorganisms or cancerous cells from an original site to one or more sites elsewhere in the body, usually by way of the blood vessels or lymphatics.
2. A secondary cancerous growth formed by transmission of cancerous cells from a primary growth located elsewhere in the body.

adenocarcinoma
A malignant tumor originating in glandular tissue.

G.:):)