Black adenoma a rare tumor of the adrenal glands: case report and systematic review

Abstract

Introduction: black adrenal adenomas (ASNs) are tumors of the adrenal cortex with black or dark brown pigment. They are made of lipofuscin, it is a rare tumor and there are only case series and reports in the literature. Material and methods: a detailed systematic review was carried out following the PRISMA guide, of a total of 231 articles submitted to screening, 38 patients can be included. Results: the mean age of presentation was 46.47 years, with a predominance of females in 76.3% of the patients, with no predilection for laterality of the affected adrenal, with a mean size of 2.9cm, 89.5% were hypersecretors, the Cushing's disease occurred in 76.5% of patients, 7.9% of patients had a pheochromocytoma, and 13.2% of patients had primary hyperaldosteronism. Discussion: ASN is a rare tumor that presents clinically as a hormone-producing tumor in young women, or in other cases, in a tomography as an incidentaloma, with tomographic characteristics that suspect malignant pathology, for which surgical treatment is granted.