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Updated: May 16, 2026
06:08
A Novel Method: Super-selective Adrenal Venous Sampling
Published on: September 15, 2017
Adrenal oncocytic neoplasm: a systematic review
Luigi Mearini1, Rachele Del Sordo, Elisabetta Costantini
1Urology Department, University of Perugia, Perugia, Italy. luigi.mearini@tin.it
Urologia Internationalis
|November 14, 2012
Summary
Adrenal oncocytic neoplasms are rare adrenal tumors. Surgery, often laparoscopic adrenalectomy, is the primary treatment, with a good prognosis for benign types and poor survival for malignant oncocytic carcinoma.
Area of Science:
- Endocrinology
- Oncology
- Surgical Pathology
Background:
- Adrenal oncocytic neoplasms are rare tumors of the adrenal gland.
- Only 147 cases have been reported, highlighting their rarity.
- These tumors are typically nonfunctional and benign.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review the incidence, histology, diagnosis, and therapy of adrenal oncocytic neoplasms.
- To consolidate existing literature on these rare adrenal tumors.
Main Methods:
- Systematic literature search of MEDLINE and Cochrane libraries from 1950 to date.
- Keywords included 'oncocytoma', 'adrenal gland', 'adrenal oncocytoma', 'adrenal oncocytic neoplasm', and 'adrenal oncocytic carcinoma'.
Main Results:
- Adrenal oncocytic neoplasms are rare and often incidentally discovered, with only 17% being functional.
- Oncocytes are characterized by abundant, granular, eosinophilic cytoplasm due to mitochondrial accumulation.
- Imaging techniques cannot reliably differentiate benign from malignant oncocytic neoplasms.
- Adrenalectomy, increasingly performed laparoscopically, is the primary treatment.
- Benign tumors have a good prognosis, while adrenocortical oncocytic carcinoma has a poor 5-year survival rate.
Conclusions:
- Adrenal oncocytic neoplasm is a rare, predominantly benign adrenal tumor.
- These tumors often present as large, incidentally found adrenal masses.
- Laparoscopic adrenalectomy is the current standard surgical approach.
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