If you get a CT scan, there's a good chance that your doctor might find that you have adrenal masses. And if that's the finding, you mgiht panic thinking that something is terribly wrong with your health. However, that's frequently not the case. A recent study showed that the majority of adrenal masses which are found by CT scans are not malignant.
“Adrenal masses are common and are frequently found incidentally on CT. Our study has shown that the overwhelming majority of these masses are benign when found in patients with no known cancer. The implications of this study may save many patients from further exams,” said Song, who’s also an assistant professor of diagnostic imaging (clinical) at The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University. (Source)
Of course, this doesn't mean that you shouldn't get checked out. There's always the chance that a mass that's found is indicative of a larger problem, a problem that you'd probably want to know about sooner or later. This is particularly true for people who have a known malignancy, as the study was focused on people who did not have a known malignancy and so doesn't necessarily apply to that group. You should ask your doctor about the importance of preventive imaging in your case specifically.
What the study does suggest is that you should be cautious about assuming the worst when your CT scan (or any other preventive imaging you have done) comes back without a clear bill of health. Rather than panicking, you should work with your doctor to determine what additional scans are needed to see what's really going on below the surface.
Question of the Day: Would this information make you feel more calm in the face of news from your doctor that your CT scan showed an adrenal mass?
