Adrenal gland cancer
What is adrenal gland cancer?
Adrenal gland cancer starts in cells of the adrenal glands. Learn about symptoms, diagnosis, treatment and risks in our guide to adrenal gland cancer.
Risk factors for adrenal gland cancer
The most important risk factor for developing adrenal gland cancer is having an associated genetic condition. Learn about adrenal gland cancer risk.
Finding adrenal gland cancer early
When adrenal gland cancer is detected and treated early, the chances of successful treatment are better. Recognizing symptoms and getting regular checkups are the best ways to detect most adrenal gland cancers early. The sooner symptoms are reported, the sooner a doctor can diagnose and treat the cancer.
Symptoms of adrenal gland cancer
Symptoms of adrenal gland cancer depend on whether the tumour is producing hormones and the type of hormones. Learn about symptoms of adrenal gland cancer.
Diagnosis of adrenal gland cancer
Tests to diagnose adrenal gland cancer, such as a CT scan, are done when symptoms or tests suggest a problem. Learn about diagnosing adrenal gland cancer.
Grading adrenal gland cancer
The grade is a description of how the cancer cells look compared to normal cells. To find out the grade of adrenal gland cancer, the pathologist looks at a tissue sample from the tumour under a microscope. The main factor used to determine the grade is how often the tumour cells are dividing.
Stages of adrenal gland cancer
Staging is a way of describing or classifying a cancer based on how much cancer is in the body.
If adrenal gland cancer spreads
Cancer cells have the potential to spread from the adrenal gland to other parts of the body where they can grow into new tumours. This process is called metastasis. The tumours are also called metastasis (singular) or metastases (plural). Metastases are also called secondary tumours.
Prognosis and survival for adrenal gland cancer
People with adrenal gland cancer may have questions about their prognosis and survival. Prognosis and survival depend on many factors. Only a doctor familiar with a person’s medical history, type of cancer, stage, characteristics of the cancer, treatments chosen and response to treatment can put all of this information together with survival statistics to arrive at a prognosis.
Treatments for adrenal gland cancer
Treatments for adrenal gland cancer include surgery, supportive therapy, chemotherapy and radiation. Learn about treatment options for adrenal gland cancer.
Adrenal gland cancer statistics
Cancer statistics tell us how many people in Canada are diagnosed with and die from other endocrine cancers in a certain time frame.