The effect of bilateral adrenalectomy upon neoplastic disease in man

Treatment of Chronic Pain

“…The abolition of pain in some cases after bilateral adrenalectomy (West et al, 1952) is an interesting phenomenon and is not solely related to the disappearance of metastases in bone and other tissues. The mechanism of pain suppression in these cases is not yet understood.…”

Environmental oestrogens and human reproductive cancers

“…Firstly, clinical experience shows that breast cancers may regress following endocrine deprivation therapy, most notably ovariectomy (Thomson 1902) and the administration of gonadotrophin-releasing hormone (GnRH) analogues (Blamey & Dixon 1991) in premenopausal women, and hypophysectomy (Luft et al 1952), adrenalectomy (West et al 1952), anti-oestrogens (Stewart 1989) and aromatase inhibitors (Miller 1997) in postmenopausal women. Conversely, there is evidence that administration of steroid hormones increases tumour growth (Dao et al 1982, Conte et al 1985.…”

Incidence of Carcinoma and Secondary Operations Following Subtotal Prostatectomy in 617 Patients

“…Barnes (17), in a selected series of early carcinomas of the prostate, found endocrine‐treated patients had a five‐year survival rate of 53 per cent and a ten‐year survival rate of 22 per cent, but 36 per cent had persistent carcinoma. West and associates (18) reported that following adrenalectomy in 17 cases of advanced carcinoma of the prostate the average survival time was five and a half months. Jewett (11) found that radical prostatectomy in suitable cases gave a five‐year survival rate of 51 per cent and a ten‐year survival of 28 per cent without recurrence.…”