Tumours can sometimes grow in the adrenal glands, but in most cases they are benign, meaning they are not cancerous. In some patients they may not even cause any symptoms. However sometimes benign adrenal gland tumours can be problematic if they cause high levels of hormones to be made and extremely rarely adrenal gland tumours are cancerous.
What are your adrenal glands?
You might not have heard much about your adrenal glands but this pair of triangular shaped organs located above your kidneys work incredibly hard, producing essential hormones for your body. Lots of functions including your blood pressure, immune system and metabolism rely on hormones such as adrenaline and cortisol which are made by your adrenal glands.
The outer part of an adrenal gland is called the adrenal cortex. This is where cortisol, aldosterone and other steroid hormones are made. Cortisol helps your body manage and use the food you eat where as aldosterone helps you to regulate blood pressure and controls the level of salt in your blood and tissues. The inner section of an adrenal gland is called the adrenal medulla. This is where adrenaline and other stress hormones involved in the fight-or-flight response are made.
Different types of adrenal gland cancer begin in different parts of your adrenal glands. Adrenocortical carcinoma (ACC) starts in the adrenal cortex. Pheochromocytoma starts in the adrenal medulla.
What are the different types of adrenal gland cancer?
There are two main types of adrenal gland cancer: adrenocortical carcinoma and pheochromocytoma. These are called primary adrenal gland cancer because they start in the adrenal glands.
If cancer spreads from a different organ to your adrenal glands it is called secondary cancer.
Neuroblastoma, a type of children’s cancer, can develop in nerve tissue or in in nerve cells in the adrenal gland, so this is sometimes also categorised as a type of adrenal gland cancer.
Is adrenal gland cancer curable?
For some people adrenal gland cancer can be cured by an operation called an adrenalectomy which involves removing one or both of the adrenal glands. Unfortunately it can be difficult to diagnose adrenal gland cancer early because symptoms can be vague and awareness of rare cancers is low.
If the cancer spreads beyond the adrenal gland it becomes much harder to cure and sadly sometimes even after a successful operation, adrenal gland cancer can come back.
If you or a family member has received a diagnosis of adrenal gland cancer your oncology team will be able to advise the best treatment options and likely outcomes for you. International cancer research into adrenal gland cancer is vital to discover new ways to prevent this deadly disease, diagnose it more quickly and treat it better so that patients around the world can have more precious time with loved ones.
Who is more likely to develop adrenal gland cancer?
There are two main types of adrenal gland cancer:
Adrenocortical carcinoma (ACC), sometimes called adrenal cancer, is extremely rare, affecting around one person per million each year. It can affect people of any age but is most likely to be diagnosed in children under 5 or in adults in their 40s or 50s. Women appear to be affected slightly more than men. Most cases of ACC are not inherited but up to 1% are caused by a genetic syndrome such as Li-Fraumeni syndrome.
Pheochromocytoma is also very rare, affecting approximately one in 500,000 people (although this number is hard to calculate since it is thought that there are many undiagnosed cases). It is most commonly diagnosed in people aged between 30 and 50 and affects men and women equally. Pheochromocytoma is often linked to a genetic syndrome, including multiple endocrine neoplasia type 2 and Von Hippel-Lindau disease.
Symptoms, diagnosis and treatment of adrenal gland cancer:
Symptoms of adrenal gland cancer
Since your adrenal glands produce hormones, some of the symptoms of adrenal gland cancer are caused by excess hormone levels. These symptoms may include:
• High blood sugar levels
• High blood pressure
• Unexplained weight loss or weight gain
• Fast heart beat
• Excess facial or bod hair
Other symptoms of adrenal gland cancer can include:
• Back pain
• Abdominal pain
• Feling full in your tummy
• Muscle cramps
• Headaches
Often adrenal gland cancers are not diagnosed early because symptoms can be vague and confused with other conditions. They are sometimes spotted during routine checks for other things. If you are worried about any changes to your body please speak to your doctor sooner rather than later.
How is adrenal gland cancer diagnosed?
There are different types of adrenal gland tumours and they are often benign, not cancerous. Tests can help to work out whether you have adrenal gland cancer, what type of cancer it is and what treatment would be best for you.
Diagnostic tests may include:
• Blood tests. To find out if there are unusual levels of any hormones in your blood and the numbers of different types of blood cells.
• Urine tests. Similar to the blood test, this can show abnormal hormone levels.
• Imaging tests. CT scans give a detailed picture to help work out if a tumour is cancerous.
• Biopsy. Where a sample of tissue or cells are taken and studied under a microscope. This is not generally done for the adrenal gland because it can be dangerous in this area but it is sometimes done for other parts of the body to investigate whether the cancer has spread.
How is adrenal gland cancer treated?
Treatment for adrenal gland cancer depends on the exact type of cancer, the size of it and the stage it is at. Adrenocortical carcinoma (ACC) is normally treated with surgery where the affected gland is removed. Some patients then have chemotherapy after surgery to help stop the cancer coming back. If ACC is diagnosed early then it can sometimes be cured with surgery, but if ACC spreads to other parts of the body it is much harder to cure. For these patients, chemotherapy may be used to help control the growth of the cancer.
Surgery is also the most common treatment for phaeochromocytoma, but some phaeochromocytoma patients have radioisotope therapy. This works by delivering a high dose of radiation to the cancer which destroys the cancer cells.
If you have one adrenal gland removed, the remaining one can still make all the hormones you need. However, if you have both of your adrenal glands removed then you will need hormone replacement therapy so that you still get the vital hormones you need to stay healthy.
Why is adrenal gland cancer difficult to treat?
It can be harder to research rarer cancers because of low patient numbers. Clinical trials for rare cancers may need to involve a much larger number of hospitals worldwide to be able to recruit enough patients, making them more expensive and time consuming.
Rarer cancers often receive less research funding and so as a result we don’t know as much about them – about what causes them, how they develop and how to stop them. That’s why we are proud to support research into any cancer type to help fill in these knowledge gaps.
Adrenal gland cancer is also hard to treat because it can go undetected. Symptoms are not well known and may be confused for other health conditions. But the later it is diagnosed, the harder adrenal gland cancer is to cure. So we desperately need new ways to diagnose it quicker and treat it better. That’s where Curestarters and discovery research come to the rescue.
Why does research into rare cancers matter?
They may be rare but cancers like adrenal gland cancer have a devastating impact. 55% of UK cancer deaths are from rare and less common cancers. We are a cancer charity committed to reaching a day where no life is cut short by cancer, and research into rare cancers is an essential part of this.
If adrenal gland cancer is caught early surgery can be very effective, but once it spreads to other parts of the body there are very few treatment options. Research powered by you is helping change this. Dr Pierre Val and his team in France are investigating whether the hormone testosterone could help to treat adrenocortical cancer, a type of adrenal gland cancer. This sort of research is vital to find answers to all the questions we still have about adrenal gland cancer.
From the ones you have never heard of, to the ones we all know too well, Curestarters are helping us fund research into any type of cancer. By joining our united effort, you can help make a difference for adrenal gland cancer patients in the future.
Research is all about worldwide collaborations...this is particularly true for rare tumours such as adrenal cancer. All progress in this field has come from concerted international effort from clinicians and basic scientists.
FAQs about adrenal gland cancer
Is adrenal gland cancer the same as an adrenal adenoma?
No, adrenal adenoma is a benign tumour that forms in your adrenal glands meaning it is not cancerous. Most tumours that develop in the adrenal glands are benign but very rarely they are cancerous.
What is adrenocortical carcinoma?
Adrenocortical carcinoma is an extremely rare type of cancer that develops in the adrenal glands. It affects only around one person in a million.
Can cancer spread to the adrenal glands from other parts of the body?
Yes, cancer can spread from other parts of the body to the adrenal glands. This is called secondary cancer. For example if you have kidney cancer and it spreads to your adrenal glands that is called secondary kidney cancer, and is not called adrenal gland cancer.
Is adrenal gland cancer hereditary?
Most cases of adrenal gland cancer are not caused by hereditary factors. However, up to 1% of adrenocortical carcinomas are caused by a genetic syndrome such as Li-Fraumeni syndrome and pheochromocytoma is sometimes linked to a genetic syndrome including multiple endocrine neoplasia type 2 and Von Hippel-Lindau disease.
What research is being done into adrenal gland cancer?
Research into rare cancers like adrenal gland cancer is sometimes underfunded and can be challenging to carry out. Thanks to Curesarters we are on a mission to reach a day where no life is cut short by any cancer, including rare ones. Dr Pierre Val and his team are investigating whether the hormone testosterone could help to treat adrenocortical cancer, a type of adrenal gland cancer.
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