Adrenal Cancer Prevention

The disease is rare, with about 600 cases diagnosed in the U.S. each year. That makes the cancer difficult to investigate, as there isn’t a large patient population to study. But researchers, including those at Winship Cancer Institute of Emory University, are learning more about adrenal cancer all the time and hope one day to be able to establish adrenal cancer prevention guidelines.

The adrenal glands are small, triangle-shaped organs that sit on top of the kidneys almost like caps. They’re only about three inches long and have two basic parts: the outer layer, called the cortex, and the medulla, which makes up the gland’s interior.

Most adrenal tumors develop in the cortex, while only a small percentage develop in the medulla. In fact, adrenal tumors are relatively common and can be found in people of all ages, including children. They are generally diagnosed incidentally, or by accident, during an imaging test of the abdomen to evaluate unrelated symptoms. The majority of adrenal tumors are benign, or non-cancerous, and do not require any treatment. But sometimes adrenal tumors grow out of control and become malignant (cancerous).

Researchers are still trying to determine what causes an adrenal tumor to become cancerous and to establish adrenal cancer prevention guidelines. So far, they’ve determined that inherited genetic mutations account for up to 15% of all adrenal cancers. This is more likely to be the case when adrenal cancer is diagnosed in children. Those genetic mutations include:

• Li-Fraumeni syndrome
• Beckwith-Wiedemann syndrome
• Multiple endocrine neoplasia
• Familial adenomatous polyposis
• Lynch syndrome

It’s important to note, however, that the majority (85%) of all adrenal cancers are sporadic, or not caused by an underlying genetic condition.

While we don’t know exactly what causes adrenal cancer and therefore can’t make specific suggestions on how to prevent it, it’s always a good idea to take steps to lower your overall risk of cancer through lifestyle modification. The following guidelines may be important for adrenal cancer prevention:

• Not using any tobacco products
• Not drinking alcohol
• Maintaining a body mass index below 25
• Being physically active every day
• Eating a diet rich in fruits and vegetables and low in processed meats

Winship is dedicated to curing cancer through our tireless research to understand why cancer develops and to discover new ways to improve the prevention, detection, treatment and survival of all types of cancer, including adrenal.