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Aldosterone-Secreting Adrenal Cortical Carcinoma. A Case Report and Review of the Literature

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Abstract

Adrenal cortical carcinomas (ACC) are rare, typically aggressive malignant neoplasms with a reported incidence of 1–2 cases per 1 million population and account for 0.05–0.2 % of all malignancies. The majority of these tumors are functional with approximately 60 % of patients experiencing endocrine symptomatology typically characterized by Cushing’s syndrome (40 %) or a mixed hormonal picture of Cushing syndrome seen in association with virilization. Rarely, patients present with a pure hormonal syndrome of feminization or hyperaldosteronism, 6 and 2.5 %, respectively. We report a case of a 76-year-old woman presenting with recently diagnosed hypertension secondary to primary hyperaldosteronism. The patient underwent laparoscopic converted to an open adrenalectomy and a diagnosis of adrenocortical carcinoma (aldosteronoma clinical) was rendered. This case and review of the literature highlight that while rare, aldosterone-secreting adrenal cortical carcinomas may occur. In this case report, we discuss the clinical presentation, pathologic findings, and review the literature for adrenal cortical carcinomas and aldosterone-secreting adrenal cortical carcinomas.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Pathology, Passavant Hospital, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, 9100 Babcock Blvd, Pittsburgh, PA, 15237, USA

    Adrienne Carruth Griffin

  2. Department of Surgery, University of Pennsylvania Health System, 3400 Spruce Street, 4 Silverstien, Philadelphia, PA, 19104, USA

    Rachel Kelz

  3. Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of Pennsylvania Health System, 3400 Spruce Street, Philadelphia, PA, 19104, USA

    Virginia A. LiVolsi

Authors
  1. Adrienne Carruth Griffin
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  2. Rachel Kelz
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  3. Virginia A. LiVolsi
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Correspondence to Adrienne Carruth Griffin.

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Griffin, A.C., Kelz, R. & LiVolsi, V.A. Aldosterone-Secreting Adrenal Cortical Carcinoma. A Case Report and Review of the Literature. Endocr Pathol 25, 344–349 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12022-014-9307-x

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