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Gastrointestinal (GI) Oncology

Patient and Family Education

Adrenocortical Carcinoma (Cancer of the Adrenal Cortex)

Stages

Once cancer of the adrenal cortex has been diagnosed, more testing will be done to see how far the cancer has spread-a process called staging.

Treatment options vary depending on the stage of the disease. The following stages are used for cancer of the adrenal cortex:

Stage I - The cancer is less than 5 centimeters (less than 2 inches) wide and has not spread into tissues around the adrenal gland. During this stage, the primary treatment will probably be surgery to remove the cancer.

Stage II - The cancer is more than 5 centimeters (less than 2 inches) wide and has not spread into tissues around the adrenal gland. During this stage, the primary treatment will probably be surgery to remove the cancer, although clinical trials are now under way to test new treatments for this stage of the disease.

Stage III - The cancer has spread into tissues around the adrenal gland or has spread to the lymph nodes around the adrenal gland. Lymph nodes are part of the lymphatic system and are small, bean-shaped organs that make and store infection-fighting cells. During this stage, treatments may be one of the following:

• Surgery to remove the cancer. Lymph nodes in the area may also be removed (lymph node dissection).
• A clinical trial involving radiation therapy.
• A clinical trial involving chemotherapy if the size of the tumor can be measured with x-rays and/or if the tumor is making hormones.

Stage IV - The cancer has spread to tissues or organs in the area and to lymph nodes around the adrenal cortex, or the cancer has spread to other parts of the body. During this stage, treatments may be one of the following:

• A clinical trial involving chemotherapy.
• Radiation therapy to bones where the cancer has spread.
• Surgery to remove the cancer in places where it has spread.

Recurrent - The cancer has come back (recurred) after it has been treated. It may come back in the adrenal cortex or in another part of the body. Treatment during this stage depends on many factors, including where the cancer came back and what treatment has already been received. In some cases, surgery can be effective in decreasing the symptoms of the disease by removing some of the tumor. Also, clinical trials are currently testing new treatments for this stage of the disease.

This page was last updated on: September 23, 2009.

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