The word adrenal refers to the adrenal glands. There are two, one on top of each kidney. Neoplasm means new growth. This means a new tumor. There are two categories of neoplasms, benign and malignant, the latter means cancer. Therefore, adrenal neoplasms are tumorous growths arising from the adrenal glands and can be either benign or malignant (cancerous). Furthermore, the adrenal glands are endocrine glands and make various types of hormones essential for the body, such as cortisone, adrenaline, and others. Each of these comes from separate and different types of cells in the adrenal gland and each type of cell can give rise to a separate and distinct type of neoplasm. There is no one treatment for all of these except for their surgical removal, but they often also require additional treatment with either/or radiation, chemotherapy, hormones and other medications, particularly if they are of the malignant variety and have spread.
