Anaplastic Adrenal Cancer

Author: Ian C. Langtree - View Credentials
Published: 1 Apr 2009 - Updated: 28 Jan 2023

Table of Contents:
Synopsis - Overview - Related Content

Synopsis

Anaplastic Adrenal Cancer is a sub-type of adrenal cancer which shows virtually no cellular differentiation.

Overview

Adrenocortical cancers (ACs) are uncommon malignancies that can have protean clinical manifestations. Adrenocortical masses are common; autopsy studies show that approximately 5-15% of the general adult population may have adrenal incidentalomas. Anaplastic Adrenal Cancer is a sub-type of adrenal cancer that shows virtually no cellular differentiation. It is not associated with the overproduction of hormones as in other adrenal carcinomas. Abdominal pain is a presenting symptom.

The U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA) has included Anaplastic Adrenal Cancer - with distant metastases or inoperable, resectable or recurrent as a Compassionate Allowance to expedite a disability claim.

Adrenocortical Cancer Alternate Names:

• Adrenal Carcinoma
• Anaplastic Adrenal Cancer
• Adrenocortical carcinoma
• Adrenal cortical carcinoma (ACC)
• Adrenal cortex cancer

Regardless of size, approximately 1 per 1500 adrenal tumors are malignant. The evaluation of these incidentalomas, therefore, focuses on

• (1) identifying functional masses and treating them appropriately (including surgical removal).
• (2) identifying adrenal carcinomas early, with the intent of attempting complete surgical extirpation.
• (3) reassuring the patients who do not fit either of these classes and arranging for their subsequent follow-up.

CT and MRI imaging are used in the diagnosis of adrenal lesions, but a biopsy is required for a definite diagnosis.

Radical surgical excision is the treatment for individuals with localized malignancies and remains the only method by which long-term disease-free survival may be achieved.

Median survival for anaplastic adrenal cancer is five months compared to a median survival of 40 months for differentiated adrenal cancers.

Author Credentials: Ian C. Langtree is a writer, editor, and the founder and Editor-in-Chief of Disabled World, which he established in 2004 as one of the longest-running independent resources for disability news and information. Over more than two decades, he has written and edited thousands of articles on disability rights, health, accessibility, and assistive technology. Drawing on a global perspective shaped by extensive travel and lived experience, Ian is a committed advocate of the Social Model of Disability, the framework developed by disabled activists in the 1970s that focuses on removing societal barriers rather than on individual impairments. His writing is grounded in that framework and in a lasting commitment to disability rights, accessibility, and social inclusion. To learn more about Ian's background, expertise, and accomplishments, visit his full biography.