What tests can confirm that adrenal tumors are malignant tumors?

Whether an adrenal tumor is malignant usually requires a comprehensive evaluation through imaging examinations, blood and urine tests, biochemical tests, etc. The final diagnosis is a pathological biopsy of the tumor tissue.

Imaging examination is an important means to locate and evaluate the nature of tumors. Abdominal CT (enhanced CT) can preliminarily judge whether the tumor is benign or malignant by observing its morphology and whether the contrast enhancement is obvious; MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) is suitable for difficult positioning and judging the relationship between the tumor and surrounding tissues; PET-CT can detect malignant lesions and metastasis through metabolic activity. Blood and urine tests can detect whether the adrenal function is abnormal. For example, abnormally elevated levels of hormones such as cortisol, aldosterone, and catecholamines in the blood may indicate a functional tumor, most of which are benign but also need to be combined with imaging evaluation. If a malignant tumor is suspected and the risk of suspected metastasis is high, further puncture biopsy is performed to obtain tissue samples, and pathological examinations are performed to clarify the cell type and degree of malignancy.

For patients with adrenal tumors, early diagnosis and scientific evaluation are particularly important. If the CT or MRI report shows that the tumor is larger than 4 cm in diameter, irregular, high density, or accompanied by signs of local infiltration and distant metastasis, it is recommended to go to the hospital for a detailed evaluation as soon as possible. At the same time, attention should be paid to whether there are relevant symptoms in the medical history, such as unexplained weight loss, hypertension, diabetes, etc., which indicate pathological changes. It is very important to choose an experienced hospital and doctor for diagnosis. After diagnosis, the treatment plan generally includes surgical resection, drug control of hormone levels, and close follow-up after surgery.