Adrenal incidentaloma: a case of carcinoma

Case report

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Authors: Giovanni Ruotolo, Maria Raffaella Ambrosio, Patrizia Rosa Caroleo, et al

Published Date February 2010 Volume 2010:5 Pages 31 - 35

DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.2147/CIA.S8537

Giovanni Ruotolo¹, Maria Raffaella Ambrosio⁵, Patrizia Rosa Caroleo¹, Elvira Bonacci¹, Anna Maria Condito², Alfonso Merante¹, Pierpaolo Arcuri³, Bruno Jim Rocca⁵, Bianca Virginia Palermo⁴, Saverio Palermo⁴, Pietro Gareri⁶

¹Head Physician Geriatric Unit, ²Emergency Medicine Unit, ³Division of Radiology, ⁴Nuclear Medicine Unit, “Pugliese-Ciaccio” Hospital, Catanzaro, Italy; ⁵Department of Human Pathology and Oncology, Pathological Anatomy Section, University of Siena, Siena, Italy; ⁶Elderly Health Care, ASP Catanzaro, Catanzaro, Italy

Abstract: Adrenal incidentaloma (AI) is a term applied to an accidentally discovered adrenal mass on imaging performed for reasons unrelated to adrenal pathology. The widespread application of abdominal imaging procedure has resulted in an increased frequency of clinically silent adrenal masses. Although most AIs are nonfunctioning benign adenomas, a multidisciplinary approach with biochemical and radiological evaluation is needed to characterize these lesions and identify patients who are at high risk for hormonal or malignant evolution. Herein, we describe a case of a 69-year-old man with a pain at the base of right chest. On the basis of clinical evaluation, biochemical analysis, as well as imaging procedures, a diagnosis of right adrenocortical carcinoma was made. The patient underwent medical treatment.

Keywords: adrenal incidentaloma, adrenal mass, adrenocortical carcinoma

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