Analysis of Cortisol Secretion in Hormonally Inactive Adreno- cortical Incidentalomas: Study of in vitro Steroid Secretion and Immunohistochemical Localization of Steroidogenic Enzymes

摘要

Adrenal incidentalomas have recently increased in incidence, and thus it has become important to es- tablish clinical management of these patients. It is also important to evaluate whether these tumors are different from preclinical or overt Cushing's syndrome in their steroidogenesis. In this study, we therefore examined steroido- genesis of hormonally inactive adrenal incidentalomas via short-term culture of tumor specimens, in addition to an immunohistochemical study of steroidogenic enzymes.