This pill contains a drug that acts like cortisol in the body. For this test, you may be asked to take a pill the evening before.

A specific test, called a dexamethasone-suppression test, checks cortisol levels.

One specific hormone that doctors look for with these tests is the stress hormone called cortisol. The test results help the doctor track how quickly various hormones are produced. This test requires a person to collect all of their urine for an entire 24-hour period, so it can be used for laboratory testing. A 24-hour urine sample may also be needed. Blood and urine tests help measure the amount of adrenal hormones, which can tell the doctor if the tumor is functional or nonfunctional. In addition to a physical examination, the following tests may be used to diagnose an adrenal gland tumor:īlood and urine tests. Your doctor may consider these factors when choosing a diagnostic test: Not all tests described here will be used for every person. There are many tests used for diagnosing an adrenal gland tumor. Doctors may also do tests to learn which treatments could work best. Imaging tests show pictures of the inside of the body and may be used to see if a cancerous tumor has spread. A computed tomography (CT or CAT) scan or a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan (see below) may be useful in making a diagnosis and finding out whether an adrenal gland tumor is cancerous. To diagnose an adrenal gland tumor, the doctor will do blood and urine tests (see below) to look for the presence of certain substances to help determine whether the tumor is 'functional' or 'nonfunctional' (see Introduction). Some tests may also determine which treatments may be the most effective. If this happens, it is called metastasis. They also do tests to learn if a tumor is cancerous and, if so, whether it has spread to another part of the body from where it started. Use the menu to see other pages.ĭoctors use many tests to find, or diagnose, a tumor. ON THIS PAGE: You will find a list of common tests, procedures, and scans that doctors use to find the cause of a medical problem.

Adrenal location