Adrenocortical carcinoma

High school (ages 12+)
Human Body

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/adrenocortical-carcinoma

1. What is the scientific classification?
2. What is the primary site of origin?
3. Why can this cancer make someone feel very tired or have high blood pressure?
4. How do doctors know if someone has adrenocortical carcinoma?

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. What is the scientific classification?Malignant neoplasm of the adrenal cortex
2. What is the primary site of origin?The steroid hormone-producing zona fasciculata and zona reticularis of the adrenal cortex
3. Why can this cancer make someone feel very tired or have high blood pressure?The tumor can produce too much of certain hormones, like cortisol or aldosterone, which can change how the body works and cause fatigue or high blood pressure.
4. How do doctors know if someone has adrenocortical carcinoma?Doctors use scans such as CT or MRI, blood tests to check hormone levels, and sometimes look at a small piece of the tumor under a microscope.

Steroidogenesis: The biological process by which steroid hormones are synthesized in the body.
Oncogenic Pathways: The specific molecular mechanisms and genetic alterations that lead to the development of cancer.
Histopathological Examination: The microscopic study of diseased tissue to diagnose and classify diseases, particularly cancer.
Mitotane: A specific chemotherapeutic agent used in the treatment of adrenocortical carcinoma.