The vast majority of all adrenal tumors in people without any known cancer are adenomas, which are benign. They grow more slowly than malignant tumors. Research suggests the growth rate is between 0.3 and 2.8 mm a year, whereas malignant adrenal tumors may grow between 5.8 and 395.4 mm a year.
Our data suggest that growth less than 3 mm/year is relatively common in adrenal adenomas and, therefore, should still be considered consis- tent with benignity if the patient does not have risk factors, such as known primary malignancy elsewhere.
CONCLUSION. Approximately one-third of radiologically proven adrenal adenomas grew, all of which grew at a rate less than 3 mm/year. All malignant adrenal nodules grew, and all at a rate greater than 5 mm/year.
Many people don't realize they have an adrenal adenoma until their healthcare provider discovers an adrenal gland tumor during an imaging procedure for an unrelated medical condition. These tumors are sometimes called “incidentalomas” because they're found incidentally, or by chance.
Even benign adrenal tumors can be dangerous or cause uncomfortable symptoms. Adrenal tumors can be malignant (cancer) or benign (not cancerous). Even benign adrenal tumors can be dangerous or cause uncomfortable symptoms.
Approximately 5% of patients undergoing cross-sectional imaging have an adrenal mass, and of these, 5% are malignant [4].
Most tumors in the adrenal glands are not cancer. (These may be called benign tumors.) It's often hard to tell if an adrenal tumor is cancer (malignant) or benign. If the tumor grows and spreads to lymph nodes or other parts of the body, it's cancer.
In addition to a physical examination, the following tests may be used to diagnose an adrenal gland tumor: Blood and urine tests. Blood and urine tests help measure the amount of adrenal hormones, which can tell the doctor if the tumor is functional or nonfunctional.
The most common symptom reported by patients with adrenocortical cancer is pain in the back or side (called the flank). Unfortunately, this type of pain is common and does not directly suggest a disease of the adrenal cortex.
Most benign adrenal tumors cause no symptoms and don't need treatment. But sometimes these tumors secrete high levels of certain hormones that can cause complications. The most common hormones that can be over-secreted are aldosterone and cortisol from the cortex and adrenalin hormones from the medulla.
Stage II: The tumor is larger than 5 cm. It has not grown beyond the adrenal gland or spread to regional lymph nodes or other parts of the body (T2, N0, M0).
The size of the mass is the most important predictor of the risk of malignancy. All adrenal lesions more than 4 cm in size should be removed. [32,33] There is much controversy in surgical removal of smaller lesions (<4 cm). However, many institutions recommend surgery for masses 3-4 cm in size.
The causes of adrenal tumors are not fully understood, although we know that some rare genetic conditions increase the risk. These include multiple endocrine neoplasia type 2, von Hippel–Lindau syndrome, familial paraganglioma syndrome, neurofibromatosis type 1, Carney complex, and Li–Fraumeni syndrome.
The 5-year relative survival rate for adrenocortical carcinoma in the U.S. is 50%. The survival rates for an adrenal gland tumor vary based on several factors. These include the stage of tumor, a person's age and general health, and how well the treatment plan works.
Stage 1 adrenal cancer: The tumor is smaller than 2 inches (5 centimeters) and has not spread beyond the adrenal gland. Stage 2 adrenal cancer: The tumor is larger than 2 inches (5 centimeters) but has not yet spread. Stage 3 adrenal cancer: The tumor has spread into nearby tissues or lymph nodes.
People with an adrenal gland tumor may experience the following symptoms or signs. A symptom is something that only the person experiencing it can identify and describe, such as fatigue, nausea, or pain. A sign is something that other people can identify and measure, such as a fever, rash, or an elevated pulse.
When the tumor is found at the early stage and can be removed surgically, the five-year survival rate is 50-60 percent. The prognosis for adrenal cancers that have spread to nearby or distant organs is much less favorable, with only 10-20 percent surviving five years.
The most common adrenal masses are tumors incidentally detected in imaging examinations (ultrasound, tomography, magnetic resonance imaging), referred to as incidentalomas. They include a range of histopathological entities but cortical adenomas without hormonal hyperfunction are the most common.
Adenoma. This is the most common type of adrenal gland tumor. Adenoma is also called an adrenocortical adenoma. It is a noncancerous tumor of the adrenal cortex that can be functioning or nonfunctioning.
Blood and urine tests help measure the amount of adrenal hormones, which can detect a functional tumor. A computed tomography (CT or CAT) scan or a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan may be useful in diagnosing an adrenal gland tumor and determining whether it is cancerous.
NYU Langone doctors often perform surgery to remove adrenal tumors that are causing symptoms, also called functional tumors. Removing these tumors helps you avoid long-term health problems, such as high blood pressure, stroke, heart attack, weight gain, diabetes, and kidney problems.
“Although the majority of these tumors are benign, around 30% of adrenal tumors (>4cm) are malignant (most represented by ACCs), and the survival rate for these patients is very poor unless detected early.”
Certain cancers can spread (metastasize) from other parts of the body to the adrenal gland, including kidney cancer (renal cell carcinoma), melanoma (a type of skin cancer), lung cancer, colon cancer, and lymphoma.