Prevalence Of Adrenal Lesions Research Articles

Adrenal Lesions in Patients With (Attenuated) Familial Adenomatous Polyposis and MUTYH-Associated Polyposis.

The reported proportion of patients with familial adenomatous polyposis who have adrenal lesions varies between 7% and 13% compared with 4% in the general population; the prevalence of adrenal lesions in patients with attenuated familial adenomatous polyposis and MUTYH-associated polyposis is unknown. Data on the clinical relevance and clinical course are limited. We aimed to report on the frequency, characteristics, and progression of adrenal lesions in polyposis patients. This was a historical cohort study. The study was performed at the Academic Medical Center, Amsterdam. All of the patients with familial adenomatous polyposis, attenuated familial adenomatous polyposis, and MUTYH-associated polyposis were included. Medical charts and imaging reports were analyzed for data on adrenal lesions. A radiologist reassessed all of the images. Patients had not routinely been screened for adrenal lesions. The frequency, characteristics, and progression of adrenal lesions in patients with polyposis who underwent abdominal imaging were assessed. Findings were compared with a reference. A total of 39 adrenal lesions were identified in 23 (26%) of 90 patients with familial adenomatous polyposis, 2 (18%) of 11 with attenuated familial adenomatous polyposis, and 5 (24%) of 21 with MUTYH-associated polyposis. Mean age at time of detection was 50.7 years (range, 17.1-83.3 y). Median lesion size at baseline was 1.4 cm (range, 1.0-5.0 cm) versus 1.7 cm (range, 1.0-5.7 cm) after a median of 3.5 years (range, 1.0-11.4 y). Two patients were diagnosed with a hyperfunctioning lesion, and 4 underwent adrenalectomy: 3 lesions appeared benign, and 1 was oncocytic of uncertain malignant potential. The OR for detecting at least 1 lesion in a patient with polyposis versus reference was 6.2 (95% CI, 3.2-12.3), with no significant differences in ORs among the 3 syndromes. The study was limited by its retrospective design. Adrenal lesions are frequent in patients with polyposis who undergo abdominal imaging. They appear to follow a benign and slowly progressive course and are mostly nonhyperfunctioning. See Abstract Video at http://links.lww.com/DCR/A323.

The prevalence and relevance of adrenal masses in patients with sporadic gastroenteropancreatic neuroendocrine tumours (GEP‐NET)

The widespread application of abdominal computerized tomography (CT) imaging has revealed that 0.98-4.0% of individuals harbour adrenal lesions (incidentalomas). There is, however, paucity of information regarding the prevalence of adrenal lesions in patients with gastroenteropancreatic neuroendocrine tumours (GEP-NETS). Purpose of this study was to estimate the prevalence of adrenal lesions in patients with GEP-NETS and identify their radiological features and clinical significance. The prevalence of adrenal lesions was estimated retrospectively in 438 patients with GEP-NETS who underwent abdominal imaging. Secretory status and changes in size were documented during subsequent follow-up. MEN-1 patients and ectopic ACTH-secreting tumours were excluded. Adrenal lesions were detected in 32 (8.4%) of 383 patients included. The majority (22 patients - 69%) were located at the left adrenal gland and the mean size was 23.6 mm. In two patients, one with a well and another with a poorly differentiated tumour, clinicopathological features suggested adrenal metastases. During a mean follow-up period of 69.5 months, no subsequent growth of any adrenal lesion was observed. Endocrine evaluation documented subclinical glucocorticoid hypersecretion in 4 cases (14%). The presence of adrenal lesions did not correlate to distant metastases, however, they were observed more frequently in patients with G3 tumours. The prevalence of adrenal lesions in patients with GEP-NETs was found to be higher than the general population and mostly represent benign adrenal adenomas (except patients with G3 tumours). Nevertheless, individualized assessment of imaging characteristics should be still considered.

Adrenal morpho-functional alterations in patients with acromegaly

Acromegaly is associated with a greater morbidity and higher incidence of tumors, possibly due to the permissive role of elevated GH and IGF-I levels. In the general population, adrenal masses are frequently discovered (prevalence 1-5%) at computed tomography (CT). We evaluated the prevalence of adrenal lesions in patients with acromegaly. We studied 94 acromegalic patients, 54 females (mean age 55.0+/-16.0 yr) and 40 males (mean age 50+/-14 yr) referred to 5 Endocrinology Units between 2001-2003; 49 had active disease and 45 had been treated with surgery and/or were controlled with medical therapy. Abdominal CT showed adrenal lesions in 27 patients; 9 of them had unilateral masses (10%) with benign features (diameter 0.5-3 cm) and 18 had hyperplasia (14 monolateral and 4 bilateral), with no significant differences between patients with active vs controlled disease, and with no correlation between prevalence of masses and duration of disease, GH and IGF-I levels. Hormone study (urinary free cortisol, catecholamines/metanephrines, upright plasma renin activity and aldosterone, morning plasma ACTH and low-dose dexamethasone suppression test) disclosed no major endocrine alterations. During a 1-yr follow-up, the adrenal masses increased in size in 3 cases and 1 patient also developed subclinical Cushing's syndrome. Adrenal lesions seem more frequent in acromegaly than in the general population, but no single factor (GH/IGF-I levels or disease duration) predicts them. The masses appear to be benign and nonhypersecreting, but a longer follow-up is recommended to disclose any changes in their morphofunctional state.

Natural course of small adrenal lesions in multiple endocrine neoplasia type 1: an endoscopic ultrasound imaging study

Adrenal lesion is one of the features of multiple endocrine neoplasia type 1 (MEN1). This study aimed to assess prevalence, natural course and clinical relevance of small adrenal lesions without clinical symptoms, endocrine activity, or mechanical problems and thus without clear indication for surgical therapy by endoscopic ultrasound (EUS). Forty-nine patients with familial MEN1 were studied. Twenty-seven of these with adrenal lesions were detected by EUS and at least two performed EUS examinations were included into a subgroup where changes in adrenal morphology were studied by measuring changes in the largest diameter of the dominant adrenal tumour. EUS detected adrenal lesions in 36 (73%) patients: 6 (12%) plump adrenals, 17 (35%) nodular hyperplasia, 12 (24%) adenomas and 1 (2%) cyst. Bilateral adrenal lesions were detected in 17 patients and unilateral in 19 patients. A change in the largest tumour diameter was found to be for nodular hyperplasia -0.02+/-1.41% per month (range -2.56 to 4.58%) and for adenomas -0.61+/-1.95% per month (range -6.25 to 1.15%). One patient had an adrenal cyst with significant growth. There was no evidence of carcinoma or metastatic disease during the study. The prevalence of adrenal lesions in MEN1 is higher than that reported earlier. Except one cystic lesion, no significant change in the tumour size was observed over a mean observation period of more than 2 years. In a typical situation, small adrenal lesions in MEN1 seem to be constant in their morphology.

Prevalence of adrenal incidentaloma in a contemporary computerized tomography series

Adrenal incidentalomas, defined as masses discovered incidentally during imaging investigation of non-adrenal disorders, have become a rather common finding in clinical practice. The prevalence is not well characterized and varies among studies. The aim of the present study was to perform a prospective evaluation of the prevalence of adrenal incidentalomas among subjects undergoing computerized tomography (CT) scan of the chest in a screening program of lung cancer (Tic TAC study) in Piedmont, a region of Northwestern Italy. This evaluation included 520 subjects (382 males and 138 females, aged between 55-82 yr), referred to our hospital from April to December 2001. Twenty-three patients with adrenal masses were identified: 21 adrenal adenomas, 1 myelolipoma, and 1 metastasis of lung cancer. Therefore, the overall prevalence of adrenal lesions was 4.4%, and that of benign adrenal masses was 4.2%. This prevalence is higher than those found in previous CT scan series reported in the literature, probably because of the use of high-resolution CT scanning technology. Another factor that influenced our results is that subject age is skewed towards the decades characterized by a greater occurrence of adrenal masses. The outcome of this study confirms that we are presently able to identify incidentally discovered adrenal masses more often than in early years and that the prevalence of adrenal incidentalomas on CT images is approaching that of autopsy series. The present study provides a reliable estimate of the prevalence of adrenal incidentaloma with currently used CT scanners. Notwithstanding that our subjects were at increased risk of lung cancer, the rate of adrenal metastases was low. We think that the present results can be generalized even if we may disclose the lack of histological diagnosis.

Different responses to mitogenic agents by Adult rat and human chromaffin cells in vitro.

Adrenal medullary hyperplasia and pheochromocytomas occur frequently in laboratory rats, both in the courseof aging and in response to prolonged administration of a variety of drugs and other substances. In contrast, these lesions are rare in humans. Rat chromaffin cells proliferate throughout life, but the proliferative capacities of human chromaffin cells are unknown. To determine whether the difference in prevalence of adrenal lesions might be correlated with differences in cell proliferation, adrenal medullary cells from 3 patients undergoing radical nephrectomy were maintained in vitro for up to 2 weeks in control medium or in the presence of nerve growth factor (NGF) and/or tetradecanoyl phorbol acetate (TPA), an activator of protein kinase C. Both NGF and TPA are known mitogens for neonatal and adult rat chromaffin cells. At intervals, the cultures were pulsed for up to 36 hours with bromodeoxyuridine (BrdU) to label S-phase nuclei. They were then fixed and consecutively stained for BrdU and for tyrosine hydroxylase, to confirm that labeled cells were chromaffin cells. Cells from adult female F344 rats were similarly maintained. Human chromaffin cells labeled with BrdU were extremely rare (less than 0.1 %) under all culture conditions, and effects of NGF or TPA could not be demonstrated. Rat chromaffin cells showed little or no labeling with BrdU in control medium but, in contrast to their human counterparts studied, showed marked increases in the percentages of labeled cells in the presence of NGF (37% ± 3%), TPA (7% ± 1%), or both (31% ± 3%). The apparently lower responsiveness of human chromaffin cells to mitogenic signals, or responses to different types of signals, may contribute to the lower frequency of adrenal medullary hyperplasia and pheochromocytomas in humans compared to rats.