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Hyperaldosteronism


Hyperaldosteronism occurs when the adrenal glands produce excess amounts of aldosterone, which is responsible for regulating the body's salt and potassium balance. The disease is twice as common in women as in men, and generally strikes people aged 30-50.

Primary hyperaldosteronism can be caused by a small tumor (usually benign) in the adrenal gland that increases aldosterone production, or by enlargement (hyperplasia) of both adrenal glands that occurs as a result of other health conditions, such as cirrhosis of the liver or hypertension. If there is only one tumorinvolved, it's called Conn's syndrome.

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Clinical trials
Ensayo de fase 1a/2a, abierto y multicéntrico, para investigar la seguridad, tolerabilidad y actividad antitumoral de dosis repetidas de Sym015, una mezcla de anticuerpos monoclonales dirigida frente al receptor MET, en pacientes con tumores malignos sólidos en fase avanzada
Estudio fase IIIB, prospectivo, randomizado, abierto que evalúa la eficacia y seguridad de Heparina/Edoxaban versus Dalteparina en tromboembolismo venoso asociado con cáncer.
Tumores sólidos. Antiemesis Estudio fase III, multicéntrico, aleatorizado, doble ciego, con control activo para evaluar la seguridad y eficacia de Rolapitant en la prevención de náuseas y vómitos por la quimioterapia (NVIQ) en pacientes que reciben quimioterapia altamente emética (QAE). A phase III, multicenter, randomized, double blind, placebo controlled study of the safety and efficacy of Rolapitant for the treatment of Chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting in subjects receiving highly Emetogenic Chemotherapy (HEC)
Ensayo clínico en fase I de determinación de dosis del antiangiogénico multidiana Dovitinib (TKI258) más paclitaxel en pacientes con tumores sólidos.
  • High blood pressure (hypertension)
  • Increased salt levels, leading to fluid retention
  • Low potassium levels
  • Weakness
  • Excessive urination
  • Muscle spasms
  • Temporary/intermittent paralysis (rare)

Surgery
Surgery is the frontline treatment for cancers and other diseases of the adrenal gland. Normally, the entire affected adrenal gland is removed (adrenalectomy). If both adrenal glands are removed, patients will have to be on hormone therapy the rest of their lives.

 
Laparoscopic Adrenalectomy
Some carefully selected patients may be eligible for laparoscopic adrenalectomy, a minimally invasive surgical technique. Three or four one-centimeter incisions are made in the abdomen or the back to insert the laparoscope, which is a camera on the end of a long, slender tube, and tiny instruments that move nearby organs out of the way and excise the diseased adrenal gland. Surgeons watch their progress on video monitors mounted over the operation table. The adrenal gland is cut away from the kidney and placed in a plastic bag for removal through one of the surgical incisions. Patients who are obese or who have had prior abdominal surgery are good candidates for a retroperitoneal procedure, where incisions are made in the back rather than the abdomen.

Laparoscopic adrenalectomy usually takes about one to two hours, but might take longer for complex cases. Patients generally experience shorter hospital stays, less blood loss and shorter recovery times than with standard surgery techniques.

The best candidates for laparoscopic adrenalectomy:

  • Have benign tumors
  • Are diagnosed with pheochromocytoma, Cushing's Syndrome or adrenal adenomas
  • Have hormone overproduction in both adrenal glands (Cushing's disease)

Other candidates for laparoscopy include patients with isolated metastases to the adrenal gland from other sites (lung, breast, and melanoma).

 
Other Treatments
Patients with suspected adrenocortical carcinoma are best treated with a standard, open surgical procedure to remove the tumor and other affected tissue. For patients with advanced adrenocortical carcinoma, chemotherapy with mitotane may be used to relieve symptoms from progressing disease. This type of cancer is not sensitive to radiation therapy.