Treatments for Adrenal Gland Cancer

Adrenal gland cancer is a rare form of the disease. Almost all cases of adrenal cancer develop in the cortical region of the adrenal glands; thus, the condition is sometimes also called adrenocortical carcinoma. According to the website endocrineweb, the cancer commonly develops in one or two individuals per every million. Most cases are benign in nature, and require no treatment; however, various treatment options are available to treat rare and severe cases.

Surgery

• Surgery is one of the most commonly used methods of curing and treating patients suffering from severe forms of adrenal gland cancer. However, the extent of surgery varies from patient to patient, as it depends on the proliferation and growth of the cancerous cells in the adrenal gland. In most cases, the cancerous cells are concentrated over a limited portion of the adrenal gland. In such cases, only the diseased and damaged part of the gland is surgically removed from the patient's body. However, in certain rare cases, the cancer spreads to the entire adrenal gland; in such a scenario, the entire damaged gland is removed from the body of the patient through surgery.

Drugs and Medications

• Drugs like Sorafenib and Imatinib are often prescribed to patients suffering from adrenal cancer. These drugs are frequently injected into the bloodstream of the patient; they help prevent the formation of new blood vessels by the cancerous cells, and thus the further spreading and proliferation of the cancer.

Radiation Therapy

• Radiation therapy is another commonly used treatment. In this method, the diseased part of the adrenal gland is exposed to high-wavelength and -energy radiation. It is felt that such exposure often causes damage to the cancerous tissues present in the adrenal gland, impeding the cell-division process and thus helping prevent the spread of the cancer to the various other parts of the body.

Chemotherapy

• In this method, certain anti-cancerous drugs, such as pacitaxel and velban, are injected directly into the damaged adrenal glands. These drugs help prevent the proliferation and spreading of the cancerous cells by damaging their structures.