Aldosterone-producing adenoma: considerations on in vitro effects of adrenal thermoablation and its in vivo application.

Thermoablation is an increasing local therapeutic procedure in the treatment of metastases or small localized tumors. It has been recently used also for the treatment of functioning adrenocortical adenomas, such as aldosterone-producing adenoma (APA). A recent study used an in vitro model of steroidogenic adrenocortical cell lines to evaluate the in vivo effect of thermoablation in APA. The purpose of this procedure is the destruction of the tumor, preserving the integrity and function of adjacent normal adrenal tissue. In this commentary we discuss some pitfalls that should be considered to improve the translation from in vitro assessments to in vivo models.