Why are adrenal cancers more common in women, and why do they have a worse disease course?

The answer is related to the role of testosterone.

This topic was raised in a study conducted by a team of scientists at the National Center for Scientific Research in France, and it was published on October 14, 2022 in the journal Science Advances, and transmitted by Urick Alert.

The study was conducted on mice, and the researchers found that in male mice, the immune system recruited more immune cells known as macrophages, which can eliminate cancer cells.

They note that the development of aggressive adrenal carcinoma is rarely observed in male mice.

In contrast, the researchers found that in female mice, macrophages do not slow the growth of tumors, which eventually travel to other places in the body in what is called metastasize cancer.

Through molecular analyses, the researchers found that the recruitment of tumor-resistant macrophages depends on the hormone testosterone. After the hormone was administered to female mice, macrophages capable of eradicating tumor cells entered the fray.

On the basis of these findings, the scientists conducted another study using data on humans, which revealed the same difference in macrophage recruitment rates between men and women with adrenal cancer.

This finding points to the possibility of hormonal stimulation as a treatment for this type of cancer.

This development is important, because adrenal cancer is aggressive, and a person's 5-year survival rate is usually 30%.

What is testosterone?

Testosterone is a sex hormone, and is the main male sex hormone in men, but women also secrete it, and it plays an important role in fertility, muscle mass, fat distribution and red blood cell production.

Testosterone is a type of androgen produced primarily by the testicles in cells called "Leydig cells". In women, it is produced by the ovaries, but in a smaller amount.

What is the adrenal gland?

The body contains two adrenal glands, one above each kidney.

The adrenal glands consist of two parts:

  • The adrenal cortex, which is the outer part, produces hormones called corticosteroids that affect and regulate the body's salt and water balance, the body's response to stress, metabolism, the immune system, and sexual development.

  • The adrenal medulla, which is the inner part, produces catecholamines such as adrenaline, which increases blood pressure and heart rate when the body is stressed.

Adrenal cancer symptoms

According to the Mayo Clinic, signs and symptoms of adrenal cancer include:

  • overweight.

  • muscle weakness

  • Pink or purple stretch marks on the skin.

  • Hormonal changes in women can cause increased facial hair, hair loss on the head, and irregular menstrual cycles.

  • Hormonal changes in men can cause breast tissue to enlarge and the testicles to shrink in size.

  • nausea;

  • vomiting;

  • flatulence;

  • Back pain.

  • fever.

  • Anorexia.

  • Losing weight without trying to do so.