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 regulate heart rate and blood pressure, as well as sex hormones such as the male testosterone and female estrogen hormones. A cancerous tumor of the adrenal glands can be treated by several available methods.
Surgery
Surgery is the main method of treatment for an adrenal gland tumor that has not spread to other tissues or organs within the body, according to the MayoClinic.com. Several types of surgery can remove the adrenal tumor. The type of surgery a doctor recommends will depend on the size of the tumor, and procedures available at the particular hospital where the patient receives treatment. The Mayo Clinic offers several types of surgery, including a laparoscopic adrenalectomy, in which several tiny incisions are made, tools are inserted into the incisions, and the tumor is removed through one of the small cuts; posterior surgery, in which the tumor is removed through an incision in the back above the kidney; and transabdominal surgery, in which the incision is made in the front abdomen. Thoracoabdominal surgery is specifically for very large tumors and involves a large incision made in the chest and abdomen.
Radiation Therapy
According to the National Cancer Institute, radiation therapy kills adrenal cancer cells with high-energy radiation, such as X-rays. There are two main types of radiation therapy: external and internal. In external radiation therapy, the radiation source is outside the body, but the radiation is focused on the bodily region where the cancer is located. Internal radiation therapy involves placing the source of radiation inside or near the tumor, often by injecting a radioactive "seed" into the body with a needle.
Chemotherapy
Chemotherapy involves the use of chemical agents to kill the cancerous tumor. For chemotherapy the patient ingests a drug in the form of a pill, or the drugs is injected into a muscle or vein, according to the NYU Langone Medical Center. This form of cancer treatment is usually only used to treat adrenal cancer that has spread from the adrenal gland to other parts of the body.
Mitotane
Mitotane is a drug that kills the cancer cells and improves the symptoms of adrenal cancer by blocking the overproduction of adrenal hormones produced by the tumor, according to the NYU Langone Medical Center. However, this drug comes with potentially serious side effects. These side effects, described by Drugs.com, include dizziness; diarrhea; sleepiness; decreased energy; diminished appetite; and nausea and vomiting.
Other Treaments
MayoClinic.com describes other available procedures for the treatment of adrenal cancer. If the tumor is too large to be removed safely, cryoablation can destroys the tumor using a specialized probe that freezes the cancer cells. Additionally, radiofrequency ablation involves the use of a specialized probe that kills the cancer cells by heating them to almost 200 degrees F.
