Adrenocortical carcinoma

Adrenocortical carcinoma is a carcinomaof the cortex(outer layer) of the adrenal gland. While most tumors of the adrenal cortex are benign(adenomas) and only occasionally cause Cushing's syndrome, the malignant form makes up about 3% of all cortical tumors and requires surgeryand sometimes chemotherapy. Excess cortisolproduction may require suppression with ketoconazoleor metyrapone. Production of aldosteroneor androgensby carcinomas is extremely rare. Adrenocortical carcinomas are also sometimes referred to as adrenal cortical carcinomas, ACC, or adrenal cortex cancers.

Complete surgical excision (if possible) is the primary treatment used for these neoplasms.

External links

• Adrenocortical Support Group

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License.
It uses material from the http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adrenocortical+carcinoma Wikipedia article Adrenocortical carcinoma.