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Key Statistics for Adrenal Cancer
Adrenal tumors are found in up to 1 in every 10 people who have an imaging test (like a CT or MRI) of the adrenal gland. They are found more often in older people. Most are benign adenomas.
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Adrenocortical carcinoma
Adrenocortical carcinomas are much less common than adenomas. In fact, they are very rare. About 300 to 400 cases are diagnosed each year in the United States.
People diagnosed with adrenocortical carcinoma are usually either very young (under 5 years old) or middle-aged (40 to 50s).
Women appear to be more likely to develop this cancer than men. Women are also more likely to have a tumor that makes hormones (functional) than men.
Pheochromocytoma
Most pheochromocytomas are not cancer. However about 1 in 10 pheochromocytomas is cancer. These cancers are called malignant pheochromocytomas.
Pheochromocytomas can be diagnosed at any age, but they are more common in people in their 40s or 50s.
People with inherited gene mutations in SDHB (called Hereditary Paraganglioma-Pheochromocytoma syndromes) are more likely to have malignant pheochromocytomas.
Neuroblastoma
Neuroblastoma is a rare cancer of early nerve cells. It can occur anywhere in the sympathetic nerve system, including the adrenal gland. It is the most common cancer in infants who are less than 1 year old and most often occurs in children under the age of 5.
For more information on neuroblastoma, visit Key Statistics for Neuroblastoma.
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- References
Developed by the American Cancer Society medical and editorial content team with medical review and contribution by the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO).
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Gimenez-Roqueplo AP, Favier J, Rustin P, et al. Mutations in the SDHB gene are associated with extra-adrenal and/or malignant phaeochromocytomas. Cancer Res. 2003;63(17):5615-5621.
Lacroix A. Clinical Manifestations and diagnosis of adrenocortical carcinoma. UpToDate. 2026. Accessed at https://www.uptodate.com/contents/clinical-manifestations-and-diagnosis-of-adrenocortical-carcinoma on June 23, 2026.
Menon G, Prasath S, Correa R. Adrenocortical Carcinoma. [Updated 2025 Dec 13]. In: StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; 2026 Jan. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK546580/
National Cancer Institute. Adrenocortical Carcinoma Treatment (PDQ). Accessed at https://www.cancer.gov/types/adrenocortical/hp/adrenocortical-treatment-pdq on June 23, 2026.
Neumann HP, Pawlu C, Peczkowska M, et al. Distinct clinical features of paraganglioma syndromes associated with SDHB and SDHD gene mutations. JAMA. 2004;292(8):943-951.
Young WF, Kebebew E. Evaluation and management of the adrenal incidentaloma. UpToDate. 2026. Accessed at https://www.uptodate.com/contents/evaluation-and-management-of-the-adrenal-incidentaloma on June 23, 2026.
Last Revised: October 5, 2026
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