This Article Full Text Full Text (PDF) eLetters: Submit a response to this article Purchase Article View Shopping Cart Alert me when this article is cited Alert me when eLetters are posted Alert me if a correction is posted Citation Map Services E-mail this article link to a friend Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Reprints/Permissions Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Soon, P. S. H. Articles by Sidhu, S. B. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Soon, P. S. H. Articles by Sidhu, S. B.

Endocrinology

Molecular Markers and the Pathogenesis of Adrenocortical Cancer

^aCancer Genetics, Kolling Institute of Medical Research, University of Sydney, ^bDepartment of Surgery, Bankstown Hospital and University of New South Wales, ^cDepartment of Endocrinology, and ^dDepartment of Endocrine and Oncology Surgery, Royal North Shore Hospital, St. Leonards, Australia and University of Sydney

Key Words. Adrenocortical carcinoma • Adrenocortical adenoma • Adrenocortical tumors • Molecular marker

Correspondence: Stan Sidhu, MBBS, PhD, FRACS, Department of Endocrine and Oncology Surgery, Royal North Shore Hospital, St. Leonards, NSW 2065, Australia. Telephone: 61-2-94371731; Fax: 61-2-99268523; e-mail: stansidhu{at}nebsc.com.au

Received December 12, 2007; accepted for publication March 24, 2008.

Disclosure: No potential conflicts of interest were reported by the authors.

Adrenal tumors are common, with an estimated incidence of 7.3% in autopsy cases, while adrenocortical carcinomas (ACCs) are rare, with an estimated prevalence of 4–12 per million population. Because the prognoses for adrenocortical adenomas (ACAs) and ACCs are vastly different, it is important to be able to accurately differentiate the two tumor types. Advancement in the understanding of the pathophysiology of ACCs is essential for the development of more sensitive means of diagnosis and treatment, resulting in better clinical outcome. Adrenocortical tumors (ACTs) occur as a component of several hereditary tumor syndromes, which include the Li-Fraumeni syndrome, Beckwith-Wiedemann syndrome, multiple endocrine neoplasia 1, Carney complex, and congenital adrenal hyperplasia. The genes involved in these syndromes have also been shown to play a role in the pathogenesis of sporadic ACTs. The adrenocorticotropic hormone–cAMP–protein kinase A and Wnt pathways are also implicated in adrenocortical tumorigenesis. The aim of this review is to summarize the current knowledge on the molecular mechanisms involved in adrenocortical tumorigenesis, including results of comparative genomic hybridization, loss of heterozygosity, and microarray gene-expression profiling studies.

This article has been cited by other articles:

				P. S. H. Soon, L. J. Tacon, A. J. Gill, C. P. Bambach, M. S. Sywak, P. R. Campbell, M. W. Yeh, S. G. Wong, R. J. Clifton-Bligh, B. G. Robinson, et al. miR-195 and miR-483-5p Identified as Predictors of Poor Prognosis in Adrenocortical Cancer Clin. Cancer Res., December 15, 2009; 15(24): 7684 - 7692. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				L. J. Tacon, P. S. Soon, A. J. Gill, A. S. Chou, A. Clarkson, J. Botling, P. L. H. Stalberg, B. M. Skogseid, B. G. Robinson, S. B. Sidhu, et al. The Glucocorticoid Receptor Is Overexpressed in Malignant Adrenocortical Tumors J. Clin. Endocrinol. Metab., November 1, 2009; 94(11): 4591 - 4599. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				Z. Tombol, P. M Szabo, V. Molnar, Z. Wiener, G. Tolgyesi, J. Horanyi, P. Riesz, P. Reismann, A. Patocs, I. Liko, et al. Integrative molecular bioinformatics study of human adrenocortical tumors: microRNA, tissue-specific target prediction, and pathway analysis Endocr. Relat. Cancer, September 1, 2009; 16(3): 895 - 906. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				A. A. Ahmed Adrenocortical Neoplasms in Young Children: Age as a Prognostic Factor Ann. Clin. Lab. Sci., January 1, 2009; 39(3): 277 - 282. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]