Rare cancers require unique treatment, so comprehensive care and research for adrenal cancer is a high priority at Ohio State. Adrenal cancer diagnoses are uncommon in the U.S., with the number of annual cases unknown. Because it’s so rare, few cancer hospitals have specialists equipped to treat patients, perform research and offer clinical trials. “Very few physicians ever see a case in their lifetimes, and so there are a lot of doctors out there who don’t really understand the disease process,” says Barbra Miller, MD, the co-director of the Multidisciplinary Adrenal Clinic at The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center – James Cancer Hospital and Solove Research Institute. “I want to make sure patients get good, consistent, comprehensive and safe care, and as a surgeon, I want to make sure every patient gets the best surgery.” Click here to learn more about adrenal cancer, including risks, symptoms and treatment options at The Ohio State University. The body’s two adrenal glands “sit on top of the kidney, and among their components is the adrenal cortex which produces hormones the body uses,” explains Priya Dedhia, MD, PhD, an expert in adrenal surgery and research. “We know colon cancer starts as a benign polyp,” Miller adds. “Previously, this wasn’t thought to be the case with adrenal cancer, but now we’re at the stage where we think we can prove this is true.” There are currently no adrenal cancer screening procedures similar to mammograms or colonoscopies. This means the condition is often first diagnosed in the later stages when it has metastasized and spread. “We often don’t know there’s a tumor until it’s quite large or has gone somewhere else,” Miller says. “Another way we know is if [the cancerous adrenal gland] overproduces hormones.” To help raise the chances of earlier diagnoses, researchers are focusing on improving understanding of how benign tumors in adrenal glands can become cancerous. Research is also paving the way for better adrenal cancer treatments, which currently include surgery as a primary modality, often followed by chemotherapy, or, in recent years, immunotherapy. “We’re working to create new models for adrenal cancer treatment,” Dedhia says, adding that in her lab she has created “organoids” that “are like patient avatars that help us better understand and treat the cancer.” Organoids are masses of lab-grown cells that can be used to test the effectiveness of new drug treatments, such as immunotherapy, prior to clinical trials in patients. “We’ve found two new pathways that kill these organoid cells, and the next step we’re hoping for is a clinical trial,” Dedhia said. “We believe we’ve found a way to improve the immune response [of new immunotherapy drugs] and we’re very excited.” Click here to learn more about cancer research at the OSUCCC – James.