preview

Ncidentaloma Research Paper

Decent Essays

ncidentaloma is a tumor that does not show any symptoms until it is discovered by some types of examinations that were not previously planed. Adrenal cortex, a part of the adrenal gland, is where most of the adrenal tumors develop. Adrenal cortex tumors can have either benign or cancerous properties.
Usually patients accidentally come across diagnostics of the disease. For example, a change in female hormone levels can be a good indicator for whether a person has an adrenal tumor. One would investigate whether an incidentaloma was influencing adrenal cortical hormone levels by performing numerous tests and diagnostics. The first step is the collection of urine or blood samples to be tested for adrenal gland hormone levels. If a suspicious …show more content…

Different tests are usually performed to quantify the levels of cortisol, such as treating patients with dexamethasone. Dexamethasone acts like cortisol for the patient's body. Upon delivery to a patient who does not have adrenal tumor, the production of the cortisol will decrease. On the other hand if a patient has an adrenal tumor, then hormone levels will stay high even after receiving dexamethasone.
Another test that one can perform to measure the effect of an adrenal tumor is performing an ACTH test, which measures the level of adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) in the blood. ACTH is a hormone that is produced from the pituitary gland in the brain. Thus by performing the test one can get information about its concentration in the serum. Usually if adrenal mass is influencing the corticosteroid levels the test will show a higher level of cortisol while giving a lower level of ACTH levels.
Another diagnostic method to diagnose adrenal tumors is cortisol saliva testing. In this test, the amount of cortisol in the saliva at or near midnight is normally very low. Multiple repeats of the test to confirm elevated cortisol levels can diagnose Cushing's syndrome. Cushing's syndrome is excess cortisol levels, possibly due to the body secreting too much

Get Access