Urinary Steroid Profile [Test in Focus]

Audio Interview

When to Order

Specimen

Performance

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In the United States, adrenal tumors are found incidentally in about 5% of the 80 million CT scans performed annually. Most of the tumors found will be benign, but a small fraction will be adrenal cortical carcinoma (ACC), a type of cancer with high mortality and frequent recurrence. With the devastating effects of ACC, early diagnosis of a malignant adrenal mass is imperative to ensure timely and appropriate therapy. 

Mayo Clinic’s Clinical Mass Spectrometry Laboratory (CMSL) has added a new, noninvasive, and more accurate test to diagnose malignant adrenal tumors, via urinary steroid profiling. The test is the result of several years of analytical and clinical studies based on cutting-edge liquid chromatography, high-resolution, and accurate-mass mass spectrometry (HRAM LC-MS) measurement for 25 steroid metabolites in urine. 

Irina Bancos, M.D. gives an overview of this test available through Mayo Clinic Laboratories. She discusses when this testing should be ordered, how this testing compares to other testing approaches, and what clinical action can be taken due to the results of this testing.

Testing

• Adrenal Mass Panel, 24 Hour, Urine

Useful For

Aids in assessing malignancy in adrenal masses

May aid in improving diagnostic and prognostic prediction and dissect disease mechanisms for the following applications:

• Diagnostic assessment and follow up of adrenal cortical carcinoma (ACC)
• Differential diagnostic assessment of adrenal tumors
• Additional assessment related to Cushing syndrome, subclinical Cushing syndrome, primary aldosteronism, inborn errors of steroidogenesis, polycystic ovary syndrome

This test is not useful for establishing eligibility for a specific treatment as results must be interpreted in conjunction with the clinical status of the patient.

Specimen Requirements

Supplies: Urine Tubes, 5 mL (T465)

Container/Tube: Plastic urine tube

Specimen Volume: 4 mL

Collection Instructions:

1. Collect urine for a full 24 hours (required) and record the total volume.

2. Do not add preservatives. Specimens containing preservatives will be canceled.

3. Entire 24 hour collection must be mixed well prior to aliquoting into a 5 mL plastic tube.

Performance Information

Day and Time Test Performed

Monday; 4 p.m.

Analytic Time

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Samantha Rossi

Samantha Rossi is a Digital Marketing Manager at Mayo Clinic Laboratories. She supports marketing strategies for product management and specialty testing. Samantha has worked at Mayo Clinic since 2019.