The adrenal glands are a set of two structures that sit atop the kidneys. The adrenal glands are endocrine glands, which produce and secrete several hormones that can signal to a number of tissues throughout the body. Cancer of the adrenal cortex,...
According to Lawrence Friedman, M.D. and professor of medicine at the Harvard Medical School in "Current Medical Diagnosis & Treatment," 20 percent to 30 percent of Americans have nonalcoholic fatty liver disease. Alcoholism also causes a...
Cortisol is a hormone that is secreted by your adrenal gland. Its secretion is normally regulated by the anterior pituitary gland and the hypothalamus. This regulation serves to keep the cortisol levels within a normal range. There are several...
Mitotane is a chemotherapy medication used to treat adrenal cortical carcinoma (cancer of the adrenal gland). According to MedlinePlus, it is an antineoplastic agent that decreases the size of your adrenal tumor and stunts the growth of the...
Adrenal cancer, also called adrenocortical carcinoma, is a very rare type of cancer that affects only one or two people out of every million, according to EndocrineWeb. The disease is curable if caught early; however, most people do not develop...
The adrenal glands are located on top of the kidneys. These glands produce a variety of hormones that can affect tissues throughout the body. Adrenal tumors can be cancerous or benign; both kinds of adrenal tumors can secrete hormones, disrupting...
The adrenal glands are small hormone-secreting glands that are attached to the top of each kidney. Adrenal cancer, which is clinically called adrenocortical carcinoma, occurs when cells of the adrenal gland transform from normal cells into ones...
Cortisol, or hydrocortisone, is a hormone produced in the adrenal glands, glands that sit atop the kidneys. One of the main roles of cortisol is regulating the stress response, and it is secreted when the body is under stress. Centers within the...
Cortisol is a steroid hormone that is released from the adrenal glands that sit atop the kidneys. Its main functions are to control glucose and insulin, to aid in metabolic processes and to suppress the immune system. Cortisol also plays an...
Diseases associated with a high cortisol level, or hypercortisolism, typically come to the attention of patients and their doctors because of the distinctive signs and symptoms associated with excess cortisol. Patients with hypercortisolism...
Acne is a common condition normally associated with inflammation triggered by the combined effects of P. acnes bacteria, clogged pores and excessive oil production in your skin's sebaceous glands. In some cases, you may develop acne as a result of...
The endocrine system of the body produces hormones that regulate cellular functions and contribute to body type. The adrenal glands, a pair of small triangle-shaped glands located on top of each kidney, produce hormones that regulate the storage...
Adrenal cancer, also called adrenocortical carcinoma, is a rare type of cancer that forms in the outer part of the adrenal gland. The adrenal glands are on top of the kidneys and secrete hormones. Adrenal cancer is very rare, according to the...
Each person has two hormone-secreting adrenal glands located above each kidney. Adrenal glands secrete hormones that are essential for normal development and essential bodily functions. The adrenal glands secrete catecholamines, which help...
Aldosteronism is a medical condition characterized by an abnormally elevated level of the adrenal gland hormone aldosterone. The hormone stimulates kidney retention of sodium and water, commonly leading to high blood pressure, or hypertension....
A tumor occurs when cells grow abnormally and out of control, forming a mass. Any type of cell in the body can develop into a tumor. The adrenal glands, found just above the kidneys, produce hormones commonly referred to as the stress hormones. A...
Adrenal masses include various types of tumors that grow on the adrenal gland. These tumors can cause an increase in the hormones normally produced by the gland. This increased hormone production is rare, but can lead to a variety of symptoms that...
The adrenal glands, two small triangle-shaped glands, reside just above each kidney. The adrenal glands consist of two sections: the outer portion known as the adrenal cortex, and the inner portion known as the adrenal medulla. The adrenal cortex...
Adrenal gland cancer is rare. Adrenal tumor growths are usually noncancerous adenomas, which do not cause any symptoms and rarely require treatment. There are three types of cancerous adrenal gland tumors including adrenocortical carcinoma,...
Carcinoma, or cancer, is a serious medical condition with an uncontrolled growth of malignant cells that damage the body. The abnormal cells can form on the skin or the different organs in the body. Some of the carcinomas, like adrenocortical...
Adrenocortical carcinoma is not a phrase many people are apt to hear too often; this rare type of cancer is seen in only one out of 1.5 million people. It affects the outer layer (adrenal cortex) of the adrenal glands, which are small glands...
The adrenal glands are located on top of the kidneys and are responsible for the production and secretion of a number of hormones that are important for the body. In some cases, small masses (tumors) can grow on the adrenal glands. Depending on...
Lysodren, the brand name of the medication mitotane, is an antineoplastic medication used to treat cancers of the adrenal gland, called adrenocortical carcinoma. This type of cancer has a high mortality rate because the tumor cannot always be...
The adrenal glands, two glands located above each kidney, produce hormones that affect the storage and use of energy, blood volume, blood pressure, sex organs and stress responses. Tumors in the adrenal glands occur when the cells in either the...
According to the National Institutes of Health (NIH), Cushing's disease is a syndrome in which the body is exposed to too much cortisol. People with this disorder tend to have an obese stomach and torso with a rounded face and excess fat at the...
The most common cause of cancer deaths in America, for women and men, is lung cancer. In 2008, 215,020 people were diagnosed with lung cancer, and 161,840 people died from this disease, according to Patricia Cornett, M.D., professor of medicine at...
Numerous conditions can cause pain on the right side, or flank, which is the area between the lower ribs and the pelvic bones. It is a common location for pain especially in people with kidney problems. Flank pain is usually unilateral, meaning...
The adrenal glands are hormone-producing glands that sit above the kidneys. These glands produce sex hormones and steroids such as cortisol that are necessary to survive. According to MedlinePlus, adrenal gland problems occur when the adrenal...
According to the University of Maryland Medical Center, the adrenal glands are part of the body's hormone secretion system and there is one situated at the top of each of the kidneys. The central core of the adrenal gland is called the medulla,...
