Slide 4
By now you are an expert at recognizing the histologic features of adenocarcinoma. The carcinomatous glands are arranged back to back and there is gland-within-gland formation. The walls of the carcinomatous glands are thicker than that of the normal colonic mucosa seen at the right as a result of cellular hyperplasia there is stratification of nuclei.

Slide 5
There is an increased nuclear-to-cytoplasmic ratio in the adenocarcinoma cells. The nuclei show chromatin clumping and prominent nucleoli. There are also numerous mitotic figures. The cells are still differentiated enough to produce mucin, however, which collects within the center of the lumens as granular eosinophilic material. For this reason, this is a moderately differentiated adenocarcinoma.