When the suspicion of hypercortisolism leads to hormonal assessment, the 24 h urinary free cortisol (24 h-UFC) is the most frequent test (66%), followed by basal (i.e. morning) cortisol and adrenocorticotrophic hormone (ACTH) (54%), 1 mg-dexamethasone suppression test (DST) (49%), and late night salivary cortisol (LNSC) (11%). The gene discussed is POMC; the disease is adrenal gland hyperfunction.