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Adrenal glands are two small-sized organs located one on each kidney and are responsible for the secretion of three major classes of corticosteroid hormones that participate in reducing stress.
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Adrenal gland is basically divided into two parts namely outer cortex and inner medulla. Cells in the adrenal cortex secrete a variety of steroid hormones such as aldosterone and Cortisone. Cells in the adrenal medulla synthesize and secrete two major types of Catecholamines namely Epinephrine and Norepinephrine that cause vasoconstriction, increased metabolic rate and increased rate of lipolysis in fat cells. Any functional abnormality or uncontrolled growth in these cells results in the development of malignancy of adrenal gland.
Occurrence of adrenal gland tumors is quite a rare occurrence afflicting mostly in adult dogs. The two most important types of adrenal tumors occurring in dogs include adrenocortical carcinoma and pheochromocytoma. Adrenal cancers occur due to a variety of reasons and vary considerably in terms of type, secondary symptoms, treatment and outcome. However, the most important reason remains to be metastases. In dogs, 26 different types of tumors get metastasized to the adrenal gland. These include Pulmonary, mammary, prostatic, gastric and pancreatic carcinomas.
Adrenal gland tumors are considered to be highly aggressive. Diagnosis of adrenal gland cancer is done through a variety of blood tests and radiographic studies. The most preferred treatment of adrenal gland cancer is surgery where the affected adrenal gland is removed. Radiotherapy is preferred by veterinarians if the cancer has spread to other tissues. Radiotherapy is done using MIBG (Meta-ido-benzyl-guanidine), a chemical readily absorbed by adrenal cells. Other treatments include external beam radiotherapy and chemotherapy using anti-cancer drugs such as doxorubicin, cisplatin and paclitaxel.
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