Breast and endocrine surgery: adrenocortical carcinoma: practice question

A General Surgery question in the style of the NEET PG paper. Answer it first, then read why the right option is right and why each of the others is wrong.

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General Surgery · Breast and endocrine surgery: adrenocortical carcinoma

Sample item

A 9 cm adrenal mass with heterogeneous enhancement causes Cushing syndrome with virilisation. What is the main treatment?

Original practice item, not a recalled exam question. Nothing here is recorded.

The answer and the reasoning

C. Open en bloc adrenalectomy with adjuvant mitotane in selected cases

Adrenocortical carcinoma is large, often hormone-secreting and aggressive. Complete open resection offers the only cure, with mitotane for high-risk disease and perioperative glucocorticoid cover for cortisol-secreting tumours.

Option by option

  • A. Laparoscopic enucleation

    Enucleation leaves tumour and spills cells.

  • B. Radioiodine

    Radioiodine is for thyroid cancer.

  • C. Open en bloc adrenalectomy with adjuvant mitotane in selected cases (correct)

    Correct. Open complete resection is the aim.

  • D. Observation

    Observation of a large malignant lesion is unsafe.

Source note: Original NextPrep sample item — pending expert review. This item is original practice material awaiting independent expert review, so confirm important facts in a standard textbook.

More General Surgery questions

Questions about this General Surgery question

What is the answer to this General Surgery question?

The best answer is C, Open en bloc adrenalectomy with adjuvant mitotane in selected cases. Adrenocortical carcinoma is large, often hormone-secreting and aggressive.

Why is "Laparoscopic enucleation" not the answer?

Enucleation leaves tumour and spills cells.

Why is "Radioiodine" not the answer?

Radioiodine is for thyroid cancer.

Why is "Observation" not the answer?

Observation of a large malignant lesion is unsafe.

What concept does this question test?

It tests Breast and endocrine surgery: adrenocortical carcinoma in General Surgery. Complete open resection offers the only cure, with mitotane for high-risk disease and perioperative glucocorticoid cover for cortisol-secreting tumours.

How hard is this question?

We tag it as an application question: it asks you to use a fact on a patient or a finding. The tag is our own editorial judgement, not an official difficulty rating, so read the reason for every option, not only the answer.

How should I study Breast and endocrine surgery: adrenocortical carcinoma?

Learn classic signs and eponyms alongside what they diagnose. Then use the flashcards and the other General Surgery questions on this site to test what stuck.

Is this a real NEET PG question?

No. It is an original practice item (editorial status: sample, version 1). NextPrep does not publish recalled or leaked questions, and independent faculty review of this item has not been completed yet, so confirm important facts in a standard textbook.