Can endocrine cancers be detected early?

Some types of endocrine cancer, including thyroid cancer, can be detected in their early stages. Often, doctors discover early thyroid cancer when a person complains of a lump in the neck. Blood and ultrasound tests can also detect thyroid cancers; doctors may recommend these tests for those who are at high risk, such as those with certain types of thyroid cancer in their families.

However, other endocrine cancers aren't easy to detect early. One example is adrenal cancer. It can create an imbalance of the sex-related hormones estrogen and androgen, which may create noticeable symptoms in children (such as early puberty) but no symptoms in adults in some cases.