Adrenal Gland Cancer
OVERVIEW
Cancer of the adrenal glands is very rare. It affects only about 200 people in the United States each year. The adrenals are small glands that sit on top of each kidney. The adrenal gland is made up of two parts. The outer part (the cortex) is where adrenal cortical tumors develop. The cortex produces certain hormones in the body, including cortisol, aldosterone, androgens, and estrogens. The inner part (the medulla) is an extension of the nervous system. The medulla produces nervous system hormones.
There are two main types of tumors that can affect the adrenal cortex: benign adenomas (which make up 99 percent of all adrenal cortical tumors) and adrenal cortical carcinomas (cancerous tumors).
Even though adrenal gland cancer is very rare, if you are diagnosed with it, rest assured that physicians at The Cancer Center at Hackensack University Medical Center are skilled at treating it. Our Cancer Center features these unique and innovative services to treat adrenal cancer:
- board-certified urologists (the surgical specialists who treat adrenal cancer) and medical oncologists (who treat adrenal cancer medically, with chemotherapy, if needed), who are highly skilled in the latest technologies and techniques to treat adrenal cancer
- minimally invasive laparoscopic surgery that removes the cancerous adrenal glands and surrounding tissue with less pain and scarring than traditional surgery
- clinical trials to investigate new medications and treatment methods
DIAGNOSTIC SERVICES
The Cancer Center at Hackensack University Medical Center has the most advanced technology to diagnose cancer of the adrenal glands. Diagnostic tests include ultrasound, CT scanning, MRI, needle biopsies (to remove fluid or cell samples), surgical biopsies (to remove tissue samples), and blood and urine tests to check for adrenal hormone levels.
RISK FACTORS
Risk factors for adrenal cancer are a family history of Li-Fraumeni syndrome or multiple endocrine neoplasia.
SYMPTOMS
Symptoms are caused by either the hormones secreted by the adrenal cortical carcinoma (cancerous tumor) or by the tumor pressing on nearby organs. These symptoms can include:
- in women - excessive facial hair growth, irregular menstrual periods, deepening of the voice
- in men - slight breast tenderness, breast enlargement, impotence, or loss of sexual drive
- Cushing's Syndrome (weight gain; fat deposits behind the neck and shoulders; purple stretch marks on the abdomen; excessive hair growth on the face, chest , and back in women; menstrual irregularities; weakness in the legs; easy bruising; depression and/or moodiness; and bone fractures due to osteoporosis)
- high blood pressure
- muscle cramps
- excessive thirst
- excessive urination
- a feeling of fullness in the abdomen if the tumor presses on nearby organs
TREATMENT SERVICE
Surgery is the most common treatment for adrenal cancer. Surgical treatment involves removing the adrenal gland where the tumor is located, and, if the cancer has spread, other organs and tissues (including the kidney, muscle, fat, and part of the inferior vena cava, the large vein that carries blood from the lower body to the heart). In many cases, minimally invasive laparoscopic techniques can be used to remove the glands.
A combination of chemotherapeutic drugs may also be used to treat metastatic adrenal cancer. Anti-cancer drugs other than chemotherapeutic ones may be used, including one called mitotone, which reduces abnormal hormone production and relieves symptoms. Radiation therapy is generally not used to treat adrenal cancer.