Adrenal Tumors
How We Can Help You
The adrenal glands are small glands that rest above each kidney. They produce hormones that help the body control blood pressure and react to stressors. Adrenal tumors can be challenging to diagnose and treat.
Stanford’s team includes some of the nation’s leading specialists in adrenocortical cancer and other adrenal tumors. We evaluate and treat a large number of patients with these complex conditions each year. Our collaborative team provides genetic counseling to find a tumor’s cause and help guide your next steps. Together, we’ll develop a treatment plan that offers you the best chance for a good outcome.
What We Offer You For Adrenal Tumors
- Nationally recognized expertise in diagnosing and treating complex, extremely rare adrenal disorders, including adrenal cancers and benign adrenal conditions.
- Team-based care from adrenal-focused medical oncologists, surgeons, endocrinologists, and endocrine geneticists who help develop a personalized treatment plan.
- Expert diagnosis that includes highly specialized techniques, such as adrenal venous sampling and focused adrenal imaging..
- Highly specialized surgical expertise, including minimally invasive robotic and laparoscopic adrenalectomy to reduce your discomfort and recovery time.
- Specific genetic counseling for endocrine disorders to assess possible mutations for adrenal cancer and guide your treatment planning.
- Active clinical research program dedicated to finding new and more effective treatments for adrenal tumors.
- Comprehensive support services to make your treatment and recovery easier during and after surgery and other cancer therapies.
INTERESTED IN AN ONLINE SECOND OPINION?
The Stanford Medicine Online Second Opinion program offers you easy access to our world-class doctors. It’s all done remotely, and you don’t have to visit our hospital or one of our clinics for this service. You don’t even need to leave home!
Visit our online second opinion page to learn more.
Treatment for Adrenal Tumors
The skilled specialists of Stanford’s Endocrine Tumor Program are experts in identifying, diagnosing, and treating cancerous and noncancerous (benign) adrenal tumors. We offer particular expertise in adrenocortical carcinoma, including access to clinical trials.
Your treatment options may include surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation. You have access to specialized endocrine genetic counseling, and we provide integrated care for blood pressure issues that can arise from adrenal tumors. Because we are a National Cancer Institute-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center, you can be sure you’re getting the best possible care.
Surgery
Surgery is often the first treatment for benign or malignant (cancerous) adrenal tumors. Some benign tumors produce harmful hormones and should be removed. Stanford has nationally recognized expertise in the latest surgical techniques for the most complex cases.
Whenever possible, we remove adrenal tumors laparoscopically. This less-invasive surgery generally allows you to leave the hospital after one or two days. After this minimally invasive surgery, you usually have less pain and can get back to your usual activities sooner than with traditional methods. Learn more about surgery for adrenal tumors.
Medical therapy
Medical therapy provides cancer-fighting medications by mouth, through a vein by IV (intravenous) infusion, or by injection. These medications travel through your body to attack cancer cells. We offer:
Radiation therapy
Radiation therapy targets tumors with strong radioactive beams to destroy cancer cells. Stanford offers several types of external beam radiation therapy, including:
- 3D conformal radiation therapy
- Intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT)
- Stereotactic ablative radiotherapy (SABR/SBRT)
Genetic counseling
Adrenal cancer sometimes can be caused by genes and can run in families. Our endocrine genetics team provides specialized testing, and we can counsel you if members of your family have had adrenal cancer or another endocrine cancer. If you’re at risk, we can monitor you carefully to help catch an adrenal tumor early, when it is most treatable.
Genetic counselors in Stanford’s Endocrine Tumor Program specialize in syndromes that can cause adrenal cancer, such as multiple endocrine neoplasia type 1 (MEN1) and Li-Fraumeni syndrome.
Additional services
Our Endocrine Tumor Program partners closely with the Stanford Hypertension Center to care for people who have hypertension (high blood pressure) from adrenal tumors.
We also offer extensive support services during and after treatment, so that you can have the best experience possible. These services include physical and occupational rehabilitation and support groups for you and your family.
Clinical Trials for Adrenal Tumors
Clinical trials are research studies that evaluate a new medical approach, device, drug, or other treatment. As a Stanford Health Care patient, you may be eligible to participate in open clinical trials.
Open trials refer to studies that are currently recruiting participants or that may recruit participants in the near future. Closed trials are not currently enrolling, but similar studies may open in the future. Ask your doctor or clinical trials coordinator about available trials that may be additional options for your care.
What are Adrenal Tumors?
About Adrenal Tumors
There are two adrenal glands, one above each kidney in the back of the upper abdomen. The adrenal glands are also called the suprarenal glands.
There are two types of adrenal cancer:
- Cancer of the adrenal cortex (Adrenocortical carcinoma): This rare cancer affects cells in the outer layer of the adrenal gland.
- Pheochromocytoma/paraganglioma: This tumor may be benign (not cancer) or malignant (cancer) and develops in the adrenal medulla, the inside layer of the adrenal glands.
Our specialists treat other adrenal tumors, including:
- Aldosterone-producing adrenal tumor (Conn’s syndrome)
- Cortisol-producing adrenal tumor (Cushing’s syndrome)
- Incidentally discovered adrenal tumor (adrenal incidentaloma)