Adrenal Cancer Program

The Adrenal Cancer Program at Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi provides specialized care and support for people diagnosed with tumors that originate in the adrenal glands.

Colorectal Cancer Program

Overview

Adrenal cancer is a rare type of endocrine cancer that begins in the adrenal glands. Your adrenal glands (you have two) sit above each kidney and their role is to make hormones that help to control blood pressure, how your body obtains energy from food, how your body reacts to stress, and to make small amounts of sex hormones.

The Adrenal Cancer Program at Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi’s Cancer institute provides specialized treatment for tumors that originate in the adrenal glands, close to home.

Endocrine cancer surgery is a highly specialized field that combines endocrinology, surgery and oncology. Our experts work closely with Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi’s medical endocrinologists in the Medical Specialty Institute and perform a large number of endocrine surgeries each year.

Why Choose Us?

Our team of endocrine surgeons and oncologists are among the most experienced in the region, an important differentiating factor when it comes to improving patient outcomes. We work closely with the department of endocrine surgery at Cleveland Clinic in the US, one of the busiest endocrine practices in the world and a center that is at the forefront of emerging treatments, technology, and surgical approaches, including robotic surgery.

Our multidisciplinary approach brings together a team of experts to provide coordinated and exceptional patient care to those diagnosed with endocrine cancers. The team meets regularly as a multidisciplinary tumor board to discuss each patient and ensure the best treatment options are considered for each individual.

What We Treat

Your adrenal glands consist of an outer part, called the adrenal cortex, which is where most adrenal cancers begin. The inner part is the adrenal medulla.

Most tumors within adrenal glands are not cancer (benign). It can be difficult to tell if the tumor is benign or cancerous (malignant), but if it has spread to other parts of the body, then it is cancer.

Tumors that begin in the adrenal glands include:

Adrenal Cancers

  • Nonfunctional adrenal tumors: Tumors that do not produce hormones and therefore do not cause syndromes or diseases. These tumors are usually benign. Adenoma is the most common type of benign adrenal gland tumor.
  • Functional adrenal tumors and nodules: Tumors that do produce hormones and cause certain diseases and syndromes, such as Cushing’s disease and hyperthyroidism. These can include:
  • Adrenal cortex cancer (adrenal cortical carcinoma): A rare tumor but the most common type of adrenal gland tumor.
  • Pheochromocytoma: usually a non-cancerous tumor which makes hormones inside of the adrenal glands.
  • Neuroblastoma: A tumor which usually beings in the adrenal glands (or neck, chest, or spinal cord) of children.