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Dear Sharon
My mom had bc but is only highly ER and PR positive (while I am Her2+). My mom was just diagnosed with 3 adrenal tumors (2 on the left and 1 one the right). They are non functioning and determined to be benign. We certainly were worried because there were 3 and adrenal tumors (whether benign or malignant) are rare. And it is very rare to met there. Regardless if they are benign or malignant, it is important to go to an endocrinologist who can do a 24 hour urine test (in conjunction with bloodwork) to determine if the tumor is a functioning or non-functioning one. A functioning tumor is one that produces more adrenal hormones than normal. Those hormones are cortisols and adrenaline. There are also hormones that control the potassium/sodium balance and blood pressure. The 24 hour urine test is simple. The doctor will give your mom a jug and she will "catch" all her urine in a day and put it in the jug and then take it back to the doctor.
They will also take blood then too. My mom's are not functioning but they need to be checked because they can grow (one did) and if they get to be over 4 cm, they can become functioning or they can start to cause pain because they can press on other things. She also had a PET scan to rule out cancer for sure. Even my mom's oncologist said it would be soooo rare for it to be mets or actual adrenal cancer.
Don't worry but get it checked out to make sure it is not a functioning tumor. If it is, it has to be removed as it can cause problems (mostly uncontrolled blood pressure).
I hope this helps. I did briefly report on this board that I was going through this with my mother starting this past April. At least I can shed some light on it for you.
Kindest regards
Becky
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