Adrenal Cancer

Diagnosis

To diagnose adrenal cancer, your doctor takes your medical history, performs a physical exam and orders blood and urine tests, including hormone level tests. Mayo Clinic doctors may also order other tests including:

• Biopsy. To confirm a diagnosis, your doctor removes and examines a small piece of your tumor (biopsy).
• CT scan. A CT scan generates two-dimensional images of your body to show whether the cancer has spread to other organs.
• Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Magnetic fields and radio waves produce images that help your doctor identify small abnormalities in your adrenal glands.
• Nuclear scintigraphy. Nuclear scintigraphy uses radioactive material to show the differences between types of adrenal tumors. After injecting a radioactive dye into your body, your doctor can locate areas of the body with high levels of chemical activity, which can help determine whether your cancer has spread beyond the adrenal glands.
• PET scan. During a PET scan, a radioactive material is injected into your body, taken by mouth or inhaled to help your doctor distinguish adrenal tumors.

Read more about biopsy, CT scan and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) at www.MayoClinic.com.