Adrenocortical Carcinoma

Adrenocortica Carcinoma is a very rare form of cancer, occurring in approximately two people out of every million. It attacks for the most part preschool children that are children under six years of age, and adults in their thirties and forties.

One of the identifying characteristics of Adrenocortica Carcinoma is a tumerous hump high on the back, much like that which one would expect to see on a buffalo or a bison.

This sort of hump, unlike that which we usually associate with a person who has what we usually refer to as a hunchback, is soft and made up of fat.

These sorts of tumerous humps are not uncommon, although often they aren't large enough to be identifiable other than by medical professionals. The majority however never grow large and never becomes cancerous. The cancerous ones do become large however this form of cancer tends not to be identifiable until it reaches its final stages or what we usually identify as stage five. It also is a very fast acting form of cancer and tends to spread rapidly. One of the symptoms, and this is most noticeable in females, is male characteristics such as facial hair, voice changes and other definite characteristics of men. Occasionally, although this is a much more uncommon occurrence than the reverse, we see feminine characteristics occur in males. There are also tendencies towards obesity and acne. The obesity often shows up as pudgy cheeks and a human resemblance to a child's drawing of a moon with a face.

Sometimes, although not as often as the reverse, a symptom of Adrenocortical Carcinoma will be an unexplainable loss of weight. It is important to note that we don't usually see both effects in one person. It usually is either an unexplainable gain in weight or an unexplainable loss of weight, not one and then the other.

In children we see the onset of virilization in girls and precocious puberty in boys. Also in children and those who have not grown to their adult stature, we see a tendency for their growth to be stunted.

Brittle bones are also a symptom of Adrenocortical Carcinoma as is severe abdominal pain.

A diagnosis of Adrenocortica Carcinoma is usually determined by a cat scan and blood tests. Since this form of cancer is not generally treatable by radiation or by chemotherapy, it usually means resorting to surgery, if possible. Because of the rapid growth of this form of cancer and the fact that it isn't usually discovered until it reaches its final stages, it isn't always possible to treat it by surgery.

Medical professionals feel that their studies indicate that Adrenocortical Carcinoma is something which is genetic and passes down through the generations. Therefore it is extremely important for families to keep records of this sort of thing and to be sure that the family doctor is aware of previous cases that have existed. This knowledge and being tested on a regular basis may enable the identification of Adrenocortical Carcinoma while it is still in its early stages and therefore possibly able to be treated successfully.