Abstract

Background: Functional adrenal adenomas most commonly secrete cortisol or aldosterone. Secretion of multiple hormones is commonly seen in adrenocortical carcinomas and is rare in benign adrenal adenomas. We present a case of a patient with a 6 cm benign adrenal adenoma that was secreting both cortisol and testosterone.Clinical case: A 44-year-old Caucasian female with past medical history of Grave’s disease, hypertension, prediabetes and hyperlipidemia presented with hirsutism and weight gain. Physical exam was suggestive of cushing’s disease with elevated blood pressure, hirsutism, supraclavicular fullness, moon facies, facial plethora, dorsocervical fat pad and abdominal striae. Further workup revealed elevated testosterone level of 152ng/dL (9-55ng/dl) and elevated androstenedione level of 2.520ng/ml (0.130–0.820 ng/ml). DHEA 0.741 ng/ml (0.630–4.7ng/ml) and DHEAS 65ug/dl (32-240ug/dl) were both within reference range. The 24-hour urine free cortisol was also elevated at 107.1ug/gram of creatinine (< 24 ug/gram of creatinine) with an undetectable ACTH level of < 5 pg/ml indicating adrenal source of Cushing’s syndrome. CT abdomen and pelvis with and without contrast revealed a 6.3 x 5.2 x 5.6 cm left adrenal mass which measured 22 Hounsfield units (HU) on non-contrast imaging, 85 HU on 70 second imaging and 48 HU on 15 min delayed phase. Calculated percent relative washout was 43.5 % and absolute washout was 59.4 %. There was another 1.1 cm low density nodule on left adrenal genu. The right adrenal gland also had a 1.2 cm low density nodule with 0 HU on all phases compatible with a lipid rich adenoma. Patient then underwent left open adrenalectomy. Pathology revealed a 6 cm adrenocortical adenoma. There was no tumor invasion into adjacent sites, no vascular invasion or tumor necrosis noted. MIB1 index was <1 %. Patient had resolution of hypertension and prediabetes after the surgery. Her cortisol and androgen levels also normalized. Biochemical follow up 6 months post-surgery has not demonstrated any increase in cortisol or androgen levels.Conclusion: Both androgen and cortisol hypersecretion can cause severe hyperandrogenism and virilization but these hormones are commonly secreted in isolation in functional adrenal adenomas. Adrenal masses co-secreting androgen and cortisol are usually indicative of adrenocortical cancer. In this rare case report, both of these hormones were secreted by a unilateral adrenal adenoma, with resolution of symptoms and normalizing of androgen and cortisol levels post left adrenalectomy.

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