Reduced serum levels of dehydroepiandrosterone sulphate in adrenal incidentalomas: a marker of adrenocortical tumour

Abstract

Background and objective: Reduced serum levels of dehydroepiandrosterone sulphate (DHEAS) have been shown in patients with Cushing's syndrome resulting from adrenocortical adenoma, in contrast with normal DHEAS levels in patients with Cushing's disease. The aim of this study was to verify whether patients with incidentally discovered adrenocortical adenomas also have reduced levels of DHEAS.

Design: Evaluation of serum DHEAS, serum and urinary cortisol, plasma ACTH and low dose dexamethasone suppression test in patients with adrenal incidentaloma and Cushing's syndrome.

Patients: Thirty-two patients with adrenal incidentaloma and, as controls, 17 patients with overt Cushing's syndrome, were studied.

Results: Serum DHEAS levels lower than normal were found in 21/24 (87.5%) patients with adrenocortical incidentaloma, but in only 1/8 patients with a mass of non-adrenocortical origin. This patient had massive bilateral metastatic infiltration of both adrenal glands and primary adrenal failure. The prevalence of low DHEAS levels in the two groups was significantly different (P = 0.0001). In patients with adrenocortical incidentaloma, the prevalence of low DHEAS levels was significantly higher (P = 0.0001) than that found for some hormonal alterations indicating pre-clinical hypercortisolism (high urinary cortisol, unsuppressed serum cortisol after low dose dexamethasone administration and low plasma ACTH). Low DHEAS levels were found in all patients with Cushing's syndrome due to adrenocortical adenoma but in none of those with Cushing's disease.

Conclusions: Our results indicate that the finding of low DHEAS levels can be considered a marker of the adrenocortical origin of an adrenal incidentaloma, provided adrenal failure has been excluded.