Adrenal tumors: how not to miss important symptoms

Pathological processes developing in the adrenal glands lead to severe diseases of the endocrine system, which negatively affect the state of the whole organism. When it comes to adrenal tumors, their increased production of various hormones disrupts the functioning of many organs and systems, and it is very important to know the main symptoms of this disease, since patients, as a rule, come to the doctor with complaints not about the work of the adrenal glands, but about high blood pressure. , skin pigmentation, obesity, muscle weakness. Timely diagnosis and treatment will help to avoid life-threatening complications in diseases of the adrenal glands.

There are two adrenal glands in the body - one above the upper pole of each kidney - specialized glands that release hormones that affect the maintenance of blood pressure, the exchange of electrolytes (potassium, sodium, magnesium and others). Cancer of these glands is relatively rare, benign changes are more common, but since the hormones produced by the affected adrenal glands exceed the amount of hormones secreted by a healthy gland, they usually cause various changes. Tumors of the outer (cortical) layer of the gland are more often benign.

Two main types of tumors can develop from the inner layer of the adrenal (medulla) - neuroblastoma, which mainly affects children, and pheochromocytoma. Cancer tumors make up only about 10% of these formations.
Another type of tumor that affects both the cortex and the medulla of the adrenal gland - incidentalomas - the so-called silent tumors that do not secrete hormones, account for up to 10% of all tumors of the adrenal gland.

What happens when adrenal tumors develop

The adrenal glands produce hormones that regulate metabolism, blood pressure, and female and male sex hormones.
Distinguish between primary and metastatic tumors of the adrenal glands. Primary adrenal tumors are one of the most important and difficult in terms of diagnostics and treatment sections of clinical oncology. These diseases unite a group of different variants of tumors, which include hormonally active tumors of the adrenal glands. Adrenal tumors are generally classified into benign and malignant. This is of great practical importance regarding the prognosis of the disease, since surgical removal of a benign tumor leads to a complete recovery, while the prognosis for malignant neoplasms is doubtful.

If, until recently, it was believed that adrenal tumors are a rare pathology and account for no more than 0.6% of all malignant tumors, now, thanks to the widespread introduction into everyday clinical practice of such non-invasive, but very informative diagnostic methods, as ultrasound, CT, MRI, the number of neoplasms detected in the retroperitoneal space has sharply increased. Some of these formations are localized in the adrenal gland and in most cases are tumors emanating from either the cortical or medulla of its layers.

Classification of adrenal tumors and main symptoms

Currently, the classification based on the histogenetic principle is mainly used.

Epithelial tumors of the adrenal cortex:

adenoma,
carcinoma.

Mesenchymal tumors:

myelolipoma,
lipoma,
fibroma,
angioma.

Tumors of the adrenal medulla:

pheochromocytoma,
neuroblastoma,
ganglioma,
sympathogonioma.

The manifestations of the disease depend on the hormone that the tumor releases. With damage to the cortical substance of the adrenal gland, the development of Cushing's syndrome is possible, which is characterized by significant changes in the body:

deposits of fat on the trunk, especially on the back of the neck, thighs,
muscle weakness,
thinning of the skin with the formation of characteristic stripes on the lower abdomen, thighs - striae.

Male-pattern hair growth on the face and body is possible in women with tumors that secrete male steroids. It is also possible to develop diabetes.

Often the main symptom of a tumor of the adrenal cortex is arterial hypertension with constant high blood pressure. In the future, violations of the kidneys are possible. The severe changes in the body that accompany hormone-producing tumors of the adrenal gland, as well as possible complications, require proper examination as soon as possible.

Treatment of tumors of the adrenal glands – surgical and therapeutic

Treatment of tumors of the adrenal gland is surgical. The operation consists in the removal of the affected adrenal gland, and in the case of a malignant lesion, the removal of the adrenal gland with nearby lymph nodes.

Radioisotope treatment is also used to treat pheochromocytoma. When injected into a vein, the isotope penetrates the tumor and causes enough cell death to shrink the tumor and even reduce the size of metastases. Chemotherapy works well for some tumors.

After surgery, hormone replacement therapy may be prescribed.

According to the Eurolab website