Hormonal activity of adrenal incidentalomas: results from a long‐term follow‐up study

Abstract

Subclinical autonomous cortisol hypersecretion is the most frequent hormonal abnormality in patients with adrenal incidentalomas, and may be intermittent in a significant percentage of cases. Few patients develop overt endocrine disease. A growth tendency is observed in some adrenal incidentalomas without evidence of malignant transformation and occasionally can be related to development of overt hyperfunction. These findings indicate the need for periodic hormonal and morphological evaluation for several years.