Book 4 - Self Instructional Manual for Cancer Registrars - SEER ...

Adrenal (Suprarenal) GlandsThere are two adrenal (suprarenal) glands, about the size of the last digit of the little finger, eachpaired with and located on top of a kidney and behind the peritoneum. Each adrenal gland consistsof two parts, an inner medulla and an outer cortex.• The adrenal medulla secretes hormones called catecholamines, i.e., epinephrine andnorepinephrine. These are hormones produced by stress and were once referredto only as adrenalin.Epinephrine (adrenalin) increases heart rate and cardiac activity, dilates thebronchial tubes, and stimulates the production of glucose from glycogen.Norepinephrine (acetylcholine) constricts blood vessels and raises bloodpressure.• The adrenal cortex secretes hormones called steroids. Some of the more importantones are:Aldosterone, a mineralocorticoid, promotes sodium retention and potassiumloss in the urine and vice versa as needed to balance the body fluids.Cortisol increases the ability of the cells to make new sugars out of fats andproteins. (Cortisone is a hormone similar to cortisol but is producedsynthetically.)Androgens, estrogens, andprogestin (male and female hormones) are secretedby the adrenal cortex in small amounts. They promote normal developmentof bones and reproductive organs.TumorsAdrenal tumors may be divided into those arising from the cortical cells and those from themedullary cells of the glands.• Neuroblastoma, which arises in the medulla, is the most common malignant tumorof the adrenal gland. It is found most frequently in children and young adults andis, in fact, one of the most common childhood tumors. Neuroblastomas can alsoarise from neural tissue elsewhere in the body.• Pheochromocytoma and ganglioneuroma are benign, rarely malignant, tumors of theadrenal medulla.• Adrenal conical adenocarcinoma arises in the adrenal cortex. Its benign counterpartis the cortical adenoma.333