Is Tingling in the Hands or Feet a Symptom of Adrenal Cancer?

Tingling (paresthesia) in the hands or feet is not a typical presenting symptom of adrenal cancer (adrenocortical carcinoma). Most adrenal cancers cause symptoms related to excess hormone production (like cortisol, aldosterone, estrogen, or testosterone) or due to the mass pressing on nearby organs, rather than nerve tingling in the extremities. ^{[1] [2] [3]} That said, tingling can occur in specific situations related to treatment side effects or less common cancer-associated processes, which are explained below. ^{[4] [5]}

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What Adrenal Cancer Usually Looks Like

• Hormone excess symptoms: Adrenocortical carcinoma often causes signs of too much cortisol (weight gain, high blood pressure, high blood sugar), too much aldosterone (low potassium causing weakness/cramps), or sex hormone changes (excess hair growth, menstrual changes, virilization). These are far more common than tingling. ^{[1] [6] [3]}
• Mass-related symptoms: As the tumor grows, it may cause abdominal pain, a feeling of fullness, and unintended weight loss by pressing on nearby organs. ^[7]
• General rarity: Adrenal cancers are uncommon; many adrenal tumors are benign and asymptomatic. ^[8]

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When Tingling Can Happen

While tingling is not a hallmark symptom of adrenal cancer itself, it can appear in several cancer-related contexts:

1) Chemotherapy-Induced Peripheral Neuropathy

• Common cause: Standard systemic treatments for metastatic adrenocortical carcinoma (such as cisplatin and etoposide, often combined with doxorubicin and mitotane in the EDP-M regimen) can injure peripheral nerves, leading to tingling, numbness, pain, or weakness in a “glove-and-stocking” pattern in hands and feet. ^{[4] [9]}
• Risk and management: Neuropathy risk is dose-related and cumulative; clinicians usually assess before each cycle and may reduce or delay treatment if symptoms reach moderate (grade 2) or higher. Symptoms sometimes improve with dose adjustments or treatment pauses, but can be partially irreversible. ^{[10] [11] [5]}
• Typical features of drug-induced neuropathy: Symmetric sensory changes, pins-and-needles, diminished reflexes, and distal weakness especially with platinum agents. ^{[12] [9]}

2) Tumor-Related Neuropathy (Rare)

• Paraneoplastic neuropathies: Some cancers can trigger immune-mediated nerve damage (paraneoplastic syndromes), which may present with subacute sensory neuronopathy or mixed sensorimotor/autonomic neuropathy (e.g., tingling, numbness, balance issues, blood pressure swings). These are uncommon and usually associated with specific autoantibodies (anti-Hu, CRMP-5) and broader neurologic signs. ^{[13] [14]}
• Clinical implication: Paraneoplastic neuropathy can precede or accompany cancer diagnosis; it requires specialized testing and coordinated care. ^{[15] [14]}

3) Pheochromocytoma “Look-Alikes” (Pseudo-Pheochromocytoma)

• Different adrenal tumor type: Pheochromocytomas (adrenal medulla tumors) typically cause episodic headaches, sweating, palpitations, and severe blood pressure spikes tingling is not a typical pheochromocytoma symptom. ^{[16] [17]}
• Overlap with cortical tumors: Rare adrenal cortical tumors can mimic pheochromocytoma clinically (pseudo‑pheochromocytoma) due to neuroendocrine features, primarily causing hypertension and catecholamine-like symptoms, not peripheral tingling. ^{[18] [19]}

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Red Flags and What To Do

• If you have tingling with cancer treatment: Report it promptly to your oncology team; dose adjustments or scheduling changes can reduce nerve damage risk, and supportive measures may help. ^{[10] [5]}
• If tingling appears without treatment: Consider other common causes first diabetes, vitamin deficiencies (B12), thyroid disorders, alcohol use, spine issues, carpal tunnel, or medication side effects since these are far more likely than adrenal cancer. Your clinician may order labs and nerve tests to clarify the cause. ^[11]
• If tingling accompanies other adrenal symptoms: Look for signs of hormone excess (rapid weight gain, high blood pressure, muscle weakness, new hair growth or menstrual changes, abdominal pain/fullness). In that context, imaging and hormone testing are appropriate. ^{[1] [6] [7] [3]}

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Summary

• Tingling in the hands or feet is not a typical symptom of adrenal cancer. Adrenal cancer more often causes hormone-related and mass-effect symptoms. ^{[1] [2] [3]}
• Tingling can arise as a side effect of chemotherapy used to treat adrenal cancer, especially regimens containing cisplatin and etoposide, and should be discussed with your care team. ^{[4] [10] [9]}
• Rarely, cancer-associated immune processes (paraneoplastic neuropathy) can cause tingling, but these presentations usually include broader neurological features and are not specific to adrenal cancer. ^{[13] [14]}

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Quick Reference: Typical vs. Tingling-Related Scenarios

Scenario	Likelihood in Adrenal Cancer	Key Features	Action
Hormone excess symptoms (cortisol, aldosterone, sex hormones)	Common	Weight gain, high BP, high blood sugar, weakness/cramps, hair/skin changes	Endocrine labs and imaging
Mass effect	Common	Abdominal pain, fullness, unintended weight loss	Imaging
Chemotherapy-induced neuropathy	Common during treatment	Symmetric tingling/numbness in hands/feet; dose-related	Report to oncology; adjust therapy
Paraneoplastic neuropathy	Rare	Sensory/autonomic neuropathy, broader neuro signs	Neurology eval; paraneoplastic workup
Pheochromocytoma symptoms	Different tumor type	Headache, sweating, palpitations, hypertension surges	Catecholamine testing, imaging

If you’re noticing tingling and are concerned about adrenal disease, it would be helpful to consider any concurrent symptoms (blood pressure changes, weight shifts, weakness, menstrual changes) and whether you’re receiving chemotherapy, then discuss tailored testing with your clinician. ^{[1] [6] [10]}