Adrenal adenoma

In medicine, there are many ways to classify adrenal adenomas. According to the site of occurrence, they can be divided into cortical tumors, medullary tumors, stromal tumors or metastatic tumors. They can also be divided into functional tumors and non-functional tumors. If classified by their nature, they can be divided into benign tumors and malignant tumors. Only malignant adrenal adenomas (or those that cannot be diagnosed preoperatively) and functional adrenal adenomas require surgical treatment.

The adrenal glands are important endocrine organs in the human body and are closely related to the kidneys. Medically, they are classified as urological diseases. The adrenal glands are divided into the left and right adrenal glands, which are about the same size as our little finger, but the size of adrenal adenomas can vary greatly. Small ones are around 1 cm in diameter, while large adrenal adenomas can reach more than 30 cm in diameter.

Pheochromocytoma is a common adrenal medullary tumor. The adrenal medulla is located in the middle of the adrenal gland. When the medullary cells are treated with a liquid containing chromium, it is found that the granules in these medullary cells can be colored, so they are called chromaffin cells. Ninety percent of pheochromocytomas are benign tumors. Some pheochromocytomas are very small while others are larger than a cantaloupe.

It is impossible to judge whether a tumor is benign or malignant simply by its size and shape. Generally, benign pheochromocytomas are dark yellow or brown in color. If the color is dark, it may be a malignant tumor. Although pheochromocytomas are mostly benign and patients usually do not notice it, once they encounter some kind of stimulation, the tumor will release a large amount of catecholamines, and the patient's blood pressure will suddenly rise.

If a heart rhythm disorder encounters an explosive blow at this time, it will be fatal to the patient. Adrenal cortical carcinoma is a typical adrenal malignant tumor, and it is generally functional. Although it is relatively rare, it is extremely harmful and often metastasizes to organs such as the lungs and liver. Therefore, functional malignant tumors like adrenal cortical carcinoma must be detected early and removed immediately through surgery.