Castration failure in prostate carcinoma due to a functioning adrenocortical carcinoma.

Failure to achieve castration with androgen deprivation therapy is rare and should prompt careful review to identify the underlying cause. All adrenal lesions should be evaluated for hormone production, as well as assessed for risk of malignancy (either primary or secondary). Adrenocortical carcinomas are commonly functional, and can secrete steroid hormones or their precursors (androgens, progestogens, glucocorticoids and mineralocorticoids). In this case, a co-incident, androgen-producing adrenocortical carcinoma was the cause of failure of testosterone suppression from androgen deprivation therapy as treatment for metastatic prostate cancer. Pathological adrenal androgen production contributed to the progression of prostate cancer.