Adrenal tumor
Tumors of the adrenal cortex
The clinical significance of these neoplasms is twofold. First, they have been detected as incidental findings with increasing frequency in recent years, due to the increasing use of CT scans and magnetic resonance imaging in a variety of medical settings. This can result in expensive additional testing and invasive procedures to rule out the slight possibility of an early adrenocortical carcinoma. Second, a minority (about 15%) of adrenocortical adenomas are "functional", meaning that they produce glucocorticoids, mineralcorticoids, and/or sex steroids, resulting in endocrine disorders such as Cushing's syndrome, Conn's syndrome (hyperaldosteronism), virilization of females, or feminization of males. Functional adrenocortical adenomas are surgically curable.
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