
If you or a loved one has been diagnosed with adrenal tumors, whether benign or cancerous, there are a number of potential treatment options available to achieve a safe, normal hormone balance without interfering with daily life.

Prolonged high levels of cortisol will affect how the body performs these vital tasks. Cortisol also plays a significant role in regulating blood pressure and metabolic function. Also produced in the adrenal cortex (the outer part of the gland), cortisol is involved in several important functions, most notably as the “stress response” hormone. Excessively high blood pressure could be life threatening.Ĭushing’s syndrome develops when a functioning adrenocortical tumor produces excess cortisol. Unregulated, the increased sodium can lead to high blood pressure (hypertension). Aldosterone is responsible for regulating electrolytes and, as in the case of Conn’s disease, when aldosterone becomes more active, sodium levels in the blood may increase and affect blood pressure. Produced in the adrenal cortex, aldosterone is one of the steroid hormones in the mineralocorticoid family. In most cases, these tumors are benign (do not spread) and the condition is treatable.Ĭonn’s disease (or Conn’s syndrome) is an adrenal disease caused by excessive production of the hormone aldosterone.


The symptoms of adrenal tumors are similar to those caused by Cushing’s disease, a condition in which tumors in the pituitary gland impact adrenal gland function, or Conn’s Syndrome, a condition in which a tumor in the outer part of the adrenal gland causes excessive amounts of the hormone aldosterone. In order to diagnose the condition, your urologist may schedule a series of imaging and lab tests, such as a CT scan to the abdomen, urine studies, or needle biopsies.
