Measurement of urinary steroid profile in patients with adrenal tumor as a screening method for carcinoma

Abstract

Results of measurement of urinary steroid metabolite profile using gas chromatographic analysis in eight patients with adrenocortical tumors, i.e. 3 adenomas with Cushing's Syndrome, one adenoma with virilization, one adenoma without clinical manifestations, one carcinoma with Cushing's syndrome and virilization, one carcinoma with Cushing's syndrome and feminization, and one carcinoma without endocrinological symptoms, are reported. A unique pattern dominated by 5 beta and 11 beta-hydroxy steroid metabolites was confirmed in five patients with Cushing's syndrome consisting of three cases with adenomas and two with carcinomas. Excessive 3 alpha, 17 alpha, 21-trihydroxy-5 beta-pregnan-20-one (tetrahydro-11-deoxycortisol, THS) and delta 5-pregnene-3 beta, 11 alpha, 20 alpha-triol (delta 5-pregnenetriol) values were found in all three carcinomas including a nonfunctional carcinoma. These findings would strongly suggest the tumor to be a carcinoma, although excessive excretion of THS and delta 5-pregnenetriol was detected in one patient with a large adenoma associated with virilization. One patient with carcinoma was responsive to ACTH stimulation while the remainder show almost no response to exogenous ACTH. Urinary steroid profiling using gas chromatographic analysis, especially the values for THS and delta 5-pregnenetriol, appears to be a useful method to use in detecting these steroid metabolic characteristics in patients with adrenocortical carcinoma.