ADRENAL ADENOMA

Course overview

ADRENAL ADENOMAS ARE BENIGN NEOPLASMS THAT ORIGINATE FROM THE ADRENAL CORTEX. THEY CAN BE CATEGORIZED AS EITHER NONSECRETING OR FUNCTIONAL. NONFUNCTIONAL ADENOMAS AND THOSE WITH MILD HORMONAL SECRETION MAY NOT PRODUCE NOTICEABLE SYMPTOMS AND CAN REMAIN ASYMPTOMATIC. HOWEVER, ADENOMAS THAT EXHIBIT SIGNIFICANT HORMONAL ACTIVITY OFTEN PRESENT WITH CHARACTERISTIC SYMPTOMS OF CUSHING SYNDROME, PRIMARY HYPERALDOSTERONISM, OR HYPERANDROGENISM. EVALUATION OF AN ADRENAL ADENOMA REQUIRES A COMPREHENSIVE APPROACH INVOLVING IMAGING AND HORMONAL WORKUP. SMALL ADENOMAS THAT ARE HORMONALLY INACTIVE GENERALLY REQUIRE ROUTINE FOLLOW-UP EXAMINATIONS WITHOUT IMMEDIATE INTERVENTION. ADRENALECTOMY IS THE PREFERRED TREATMENT FOR HORMONALLY ACTIVE ADENOMAS. OVERALL, THE PROGNOSIS FOR PATIENTS WITH ADRENAL ADENOMAS IS EXCELLENT IF THE CONDITION IS PROMPTLY DIAGNOSED AND TREATED. THE COMPLICATION RATE IS GENERALLY LOW. THIS ACTIVITY AIMS TO REVIEW THE EVALUATION AND MANAGEMENT OF ADRENAL ADENOMAS AND EMPHASIZES THE ROLES OF THE HEALTHCARE TEAM IN CARING FOR PATIENTS WITH THIS CONDITION.