adenoma

DEFINITION of adenoma

The term adenoma refers to a benign neoplasm (non-cancerous tumor) of epithelial tissue with glandular origin, or one that exhibits glandular characteristics. Adenomas can grow from many glandular organs, including the colon, pituitary gland, thyroid, adrenal glands, and prostate. Although they are benign and do not metastasize, they can cause significant clinical issues by compressing surrounding structures (mass effect) or by overproducing hormones (e.g., a functioning pituitary adenoma causing acromegaly or Cushing’s disease). Critically, some adenomas — particularly adenomatous polyps in the colon — are considered precancerous and have a high potential to transform into malignant adenocarcinomas if left unremoved.

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ETYMOLOGY of adenoma

greek

Component	Origin	Meaning
aden-	Greek adēn (ἀδήν)	“Gland”
-oma	Greek -oma (-ωμα)	“Tumor”, “mass”, or “fluid collection”

The roots combine to directly translate as a “glandular tumor.” The term reflects early pathologists’ observations of these tumors under a microscope, where they noted the growths maintained the organized, secretory-like structural patterns of normal glands.

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🔀 ALIASES / ALTERNATE TERMS

• Glandular tumor
• Benign glandular neoplasm
• Adenomatous polyp (when growing on a mucosal surface, like the colon)
• Fibroadenoma (a mixed tumor containing both glandular and fibrous tissue, common in the breast)
• Pituitary adenoma (microadenoma or macroadenoma)

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🔗 RELATED TERMS

• Adenocarcinoma — the malignant, cancerous counterpart of an adenoma.
• Polyp — a macroscopic descriptive term for a growth protruding from a mucous membrane; many colon polyps are histologically adenomas.
• Hyperplasia — a non-neoplastic overgrowth of cells, which can sometimes be confused with or precede an adenoma.
• Endocrine — relating to glands that secrete hormones directly into the blood; many adenomas are found in the endocrine system.
• Colonoscopy — the primary endoscopic procedure used to screen for, identify, and remove colon adenomas.
• Prolactinoma — a specific type of functioning pituitary adenoma that overproduces the hormone prolactin.

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CODING CORNER

🏥 ICD-10-CM CODES

Gastrointestinal Adenomas

Code	Description
D12.0	Benign neoplasm of cecum
D12.2	Benign neoplasm of ascending colon
D12.5	Benign neoplasm of sigmoid colon
D12.6	Benign neoplasm of colon, unspecified
D13.2	Benign neoplasm of duodenum

Endocrine & Other Adenomas

Code	Description
D35.2	Benign neoplasm of pituitary gland
D34	Benign neoplasm of thyroid gland
D35.01	Benign neoplasm of right adrenal gland
D35.02	Benign neoplasm of left adrenal gland
D35.1	Benign neoplasm of parathyroid gland
D24.1	Benign neoplasm of right breast (often used for fibroadenomas)
D24.2	Benign neoplasm of left breast (often used for fibroadenomas)

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🔧 COMMON CPT CODES (Adenoma-Related Procedures)

CPT Code	Description
45385	Colonoscopy, flexible; with removal of tumor(s), polyp(s), or other lesion(s) by snare technique (Standard polypectomy for colonic adenomas)
45384	Colonoscopy, flexible; with removal of tumor(s), polyp(s), or other lesion(s) by hot biopsy forceps
60200	Excision of cyst or adenoma of thyroid, or transection of isthmus
61548	Hypophysectomy or excision of pituitary tumor, transnasal or transseptal approach, nonstereotactic
19120	Excision of cyst, fibroadenoma, or other benign or malignant tumor, aberrant breast tissue, duct lesion, nipple or areolar lesion (except 19300), open, male or female, 1 or more lesions
88305	Level IV - Surgical pathology, gross and microscopic examination (The standard pathology evaluation used to confirm a polyp/tumor is an adenoma rather than an adenocarcinoma)

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⚠️ Coding Note: In ICD-10-CM, adenomas are classified under Benign Neoplasms (D10-D36). When coding colon polyps, do not confuse adenomatous polyps (which map to the D12.- benign neoplasm codes) with hyperplastic polyps or inflammatory polyps, which map to K62.1 (Rectal polyp) or K62.0 (Anal polyp). Always wait for the pathology report to confirm the histologic type before assigning a definitive neoplasm code. If the provider dictates an excision of an “adenoma,” but the pathology report returns as “adenocarcinoma,” the malignant code (C-category) must be used.

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DERIVATIONS of adenoma

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Query functionality

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Med roots Appendix A Prefixes Appendix B Combining Forms Appendix C Suffixes Appendix D Suffix forms