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Updated: Aug 4, 2026
Endoscopic Endonasal Trans-sphenoidal Approach: Minimally Invasive Surgery for Pituitary Adenomas
Published on: January 17, 2018
Adrenocortical carcinoma metastatic to the orbit
G B Bartley1, R J Campbell, D R Salomão
1Department of Ophthalmology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota 55905, USA.
Purpose:
To describe the clinical course and histopathologic features of a patient with adrenocortical carcinoma metastatic to the orbit.
Methods:
Case report and literature review.
Results:
A 24-year-old man first came to medical attention because of symptoms referable to a 4.47-kg, nonfunctioning carcinoma of the left adrenal cortex. Several metastases ensued, including a large tumor to the right superior lateral bony orbit with extension to the brain, temporalis fossa, and orbit proper. The tumor was resected with the use of a combined neurosurgical, ophthalmic, and craniofacial approach. The patient died of widespread metastatic disease 15 months after the orbital operation.
Conclusions:
Metastasis to the orbit from adrenocortical carcinoma is rare. Surgical resection is the treatment of choice, with adjunctive radiation therapy and chemotherapy in some cases. The prognosis is poor.
