Mercy Surgical Oncologist Dr. Kurtis Campbell Discusses Treating Adrenal Cancer

In September 2015, Towson University celebrated the life of the school's late president, Maravene Loeschke by holding a huge memorial service at SECU Arena.

Loeschke passed away in June from complications related to adrenal cancer, a disease that is rare and difficult to diagnose.

According to Dr. Kurtis Campbell, a surgical oncologist at Mercy’s Institute for Cancer Care, the adrenal gland has two parts, and the outer part is where most tumors develop.

The function of that part of the adrenal gland is to make certain hormones for the body such as those that handle stress or regulate blood pressure.

Adrenal tumors are more predominant in women.

"In the laboratory those cells seem to respond to estrogen so the thought is that the increased estrogen in a woman causes the malignant tumors to be more prominent but no one knows for certain," Dr. Campbell said.

Not every patient shows signs or symptoms that indicate they have adrenal cancer, but those that do may experience weight gain, a swollen face or high blood pressure.

To view Mercy’s Dr. Kurtis Campbell’s interview regarding adrenal cancer, click here.