Cukurova Medical Journal, cilt.48, sa.3, ss.911-918, 2023 (ESCI)
Purpose: This study aimed to explore the impact of continuous autonomous cortisol secretion on visceral (VAT), abdominal subcutaneous (SAT) adipose tissue, and total body fat. Materials and Methods: A total of 57 patients (36 female, 21 male) with adrenal masses, referred to our single center, were included in this study. Among them, 31 patients had adrenal cortical carcinoma (ACS) and 26 had nonfunctional adrenal mass (NFAM). Hormonal evaluation was conducted for all patients. Measurements of total, visceral, and subcutaneous adipose tissue were performed using 3.0 T magnetic resonance imaging (Ingenia, Philips Medical Systems, Best, The Netherlands). Results: Mean age, gender distribution, and body mass index (BMI) were comparable between patients with ACS and NFAM. Patients with ACS exhibited higher volumes of both total (422.1±131.3 vs. 346.2±86.0 cm3) and visceral adipose tissue (199.9±77.3 vs. 160.6±60.8 cm3) compared to those with NFAM. Incidence rates of diabetes mellitus and hepatosteatosis were similar in both groups. Subcutaneous adipose tissue volumes, visceral-to-subcutaneous ratio, and visceral-to-total fat ratio showed no significant differences between the two groups. Conclusion: Patients with ACS demonstrated increased total and visceral fat tissue volumes compared to NFAM patients matched for gender, age, and BMI. This observation may elucidate the potential influence of continuous mild autonomous cortisol secretion in ACS patients. Such findings could serve as indicators of heightened cardiovascular risk among ACS patients.