What is adrenocortical carcinoma?

What is adrenocortical carcinoma?

Adrenocortical carcinoma is cancer that forms in the outer layer (cortex) of the adrenal glands. There are two adrenal glands, one located at the top of each kidney.

The adrenal cortex makes hormones — including cortisol, testosterone, aldosterone and estrogen. These hormones control male and female traits and body functions such as blood pressure and response to stress.

An adrenocortical carcinoma (ACC) is a cancerous adrenal tumor that forms in the adrenal cortex. There are two types of ACC:

• Functioning ACC tumor: A functioning ACC tumor causes your adrenal gland to make more hormones than it normally should.
• Nonfunctioning ACC tumor: This type of tumor doesn’t affect hormone production.