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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Endocrinol.
Sec. Adrenal Endocrinology
Volume 15 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/fendo.2024.1435102
This article is part of the Research Topic Progress and Pitfalls in Molecular and Biochemistry Diagnostics of Adrenal Tumors View all articles

Influence of sex and functional status on the value of serum steroid profiling in discriminating adrenocortical carcinoma from adrenocortical adenoma (2) Authors' names

Provisionally accepted
Yan Weng Yan Weng 1Ju-Ying Tang Ju-Ying Tang 1Xiao-Yun Zhang Xiao-Yun Zhang 1Diao-zhu Lin Diao-zhu Lin 1Ying Guo Ying Guo 1Ying Liang Ying Liang 1Lin Wang Lin Wang 2Jing Zhou Jing Zhou 1Li Yan Li Yan 1Tianxin Lin Tianxin Lin 3*Shaoling Zhang Shaoling Zhang 1*
  • 1 Department of Endocrinology, Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China
  • 2 Department of Pathology, Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China
  • 3 Department of Urology, Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hospital, Guangzhou, China

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    Background: It is challenging for a clinician to distinguish adrenocortical carcinoma (ACC) from benign adrenocortical adenomas (ACA) in the early stage. This study explored the value of serum steroid profiling as a complementary biomarker for malignancy diagnosis ACC other than diameter, and explored the influence of sex and functional status on it.In this retrospective study, a matched cohort of patients diagnosed with either ACC or ACA based on histopathology was meticulously paired in a 1:1 ratio according to sex, age and functional status. Eight serum steroids including 11-deoxycortisol, 11deoxycorticosterone, progesterone, androstenedione, dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA), dehydroepiandrosterone-sulfate (DHEAS), 17-hydroxyprogesterone and estradiol were quantified by liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry. We conducted a comparative analysis of clinical characteristics and serum steroid profiling between patients with ACC and ACA, with further subgroup analysis.The study examined 31 patients with ACC and 31 matched patients with ACA.Patients with ACC exhibited significantly larger tumor diameters, lower body mass index (BMI), and higher level of 11-deoxycortisol, progesterone, and androstenedione compared to those with ACA. 11-deoxycortisol was the only valuable index for discriminating ACC with ACA regardless of its functional status and sex. Progesterone, DHEA and DHEAS were higher in functional ACC group, not in non-functional ACC.Female ACC patients especially in post-menopausal female exhibited higher levels of androstenedione, not in male. The area under curve of tumor diameter, 11-deoxycortisol and BMI was 0.947 (95% CI 0.889-1.000), with the sensitivity of 96.8% and specificity of 90.3%.Serum steroid profiling serves as a helpful discriminative marker for ACC and ACA, with 11-deoxycortisol being the most valuable one. For other steroid hormones, consideration of sex differences and functional status is crucial.

    Keywords: Adrenocortical Carcinoma, Adrenocortical Adenoma, serum steroid profiling, LC-MS/MS, diagnosis

    Received: 19 May 2024; Accepted: 26 Aug 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 Weng, Tang, Zhang, Lin, Guo, Liang, Wang, Zhou, Yan, Lin and Zhang. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence:
    Tianxin Lin, Department of Urology, Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hospital, Guangzhou, China
    Shaoling Zhang, Department of Endocrinology, Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China

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