Diagnosis of adrenocortical tumors; a useful chemical test.
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OBJECTIVE AND IMPORTANCE: Adrenocortical carcinoma (ACC) is rare in the pediatric population, and brain metastasis seldom occurs. CLINICAL PRESENTATION: The authors report a case of metastatic ACC to the brain in a 9-year-old patient who had an adrenal cortex neoplasm removed at 4 years of age, and was free of symptoms for 5 years. Two weeks before admission she complained of blurred vision in both eyes. INTERVENTION: Examination revealed bilateral papilledema, and a Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) of the brain revealed a mass in the left lateral ventricle with extensive vasogenic edema and hydrocephalus. The tumor was removed, and histopathologic examination demonstrated metastatic ACC. CONCLUSION: Although ACC is a rare neoplasm it must be considered in the differential diagnosis of cerebral lesions in patients with a history of this tumor. Periodic long-term brain imaging is suggested as part of the follow up in patients with adrenocortical neoplasms.
The role of G protein mutations in the pathogenesis of adrenal cortex neoplasms is controversial. Two published studies disagree on the existence of a cysteine or histidine for arginine substitution at position 179 (R179C/H) of the GTP binding region of the alpha chain of an inhibitory G protein (Gi2alpha) in these tumors. Prior studies using detection by mutation-specific oligonucleotide hybridization showed either 3 of 11 or 0 of 56 tumors harbored mutations. To resolve this discrepancy and ascertain the importance of the R179C/H Gi2alpha mutation in the development of adrenal cortex tumors, we screened tumors from 29 patients (24 with adenoma, 5 with carcinoma) using a more sensitive assay employing polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and examination for restriction fragment length polymorphisms (RFLP). Detection of the potential R179C/H mutation by this technique was possible because the wild-type coding sequence includes the BSTU-1 restriction endonuclease recognition site CGCG, whereas the mutated gene does not. Results showed complete digestion of the amplified DNA samples from all 29 patients and the negative control DNA by BSTU-1, indicating that all tumor samples exhibited only the wild-type sequence. Direct sequencing of PCR product from four tumor samples confirmed the presence of only the wild-type sequence. The 0 of 29 rate of R179C/H mutations we found in Gi2alpha is different than the 3 of 11 positive rate (p < 0.05, Fishers' exact) previously reported but agrees with the report showing 0 of 56 mutations. We conclude a mutation at position 179 of Gi2alpha is not important in the pathogenesis of most adrenal cortical tumors.
The most commonly encountered adrenal mass is the non-hyperfunctioning adrenal adenoma. Chemical-shift MR imaging can detect and characterize these adrenal masses as benign but cannot distinguish between hypersecreting and nonhypersecreting adrenal adenomas. Because of its direct multiplanar capability and superb soft tissue contrast, MR imaging can detect and potentially characterize other adrenal neoplasms.
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