Adrenal metastases pathophysiology

Template:Adrenal metastases Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1]

Pathophysiology

Metastases are non calcified, vary in size and may be unilateral or bilateral.

The primary tumor is a major determinant of the frequency of adrenal metastases. Primary tumors that frequently metastasize to the adrenal include:

1. 50% of melanomas metastasize to the adrenals
2. 30-40% of breast and lung cancers
3. 10-20% of renal and gastrointestinal tumors