Metastatic Adrenal Gland Cancer Treatment in India

John Verma, a 58-year-old high school...

John Verma, a 58-year-old high school history teacher and father of two, had always been active. Over six months, he experienced debilitating fatigue, unexplained weight loss, and persistent, dull pain in his right side and back. His primary care physician initially suspected a kidney issue, but a CT scan revealed a large mass on his right adrenal gland, with smaller lesions on his liver, diagnosed as metastatic adrenal cortical carcinoma. His oncologist, Dr. Evans, recommended a multi-pronged approach: starting with mitotane therapy to target the adrenal cancer cells, followed by a course of targeted radiation to the primary tumor to control local growth and alleviate pain. John struggled with the side effects of mitotane, including severe nausea and confusion, which forced him to take a leave of absence from teaching. Emotionally, he grappled with anger and fear, feeling he was letting his students and family down. After three months, scans showed the liver metastases had stabilized and the primary tumor had shrunk slightly. While not a cure, this control allowed John to manage his symptoms better. His fatigue lessened, and the pain became more manageable with medication. The emotional shift was profound; he moved from a sense of helplessness to one of determined management. He found a new purpose in advocating for his own care and started a small support group for other rare cancer patients, channeling his teacher's instinct into a new form of connection and strength.