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Updated: Jul 17, 2026
A Novel Method: Super-selective Adrenal Venous Sampling
Published on: September 15, 2017
Surgical outcome of stage III and IV adrenocortical carcinoma
Susumu Ohwada1, Masaru Izumi, Susumu Kawate
1Department of Surgery, Gunma University School of Medicine, 3Maebashi, Gunma, Japan. sohwada@med.gunma-u.ac.jp
Background:
Adrenocortical carcinoma (ACC) is a rare tumor usually diagnosed at an advanced stage on invasion of or adherence to adjacent organs. We report surgical outcome of stage III and IV ACCs.
Methods:
ACCs from seven patients at clinical stage II (n = 1), III (n = 4), or IV (n = 2) were resected. Combined resection of the liver and inferior vena cava was performed in six patients. Morbidity, mortality, recurrence and survival were analyzed.
Results:
The pathological stage was stage III in five patients and stage IV in two patients. The mortality was zero and the morbidity was two of seven (29%) patients. The estimated 3-year disease-free and overall survivals for stage III were 20% and 40%, respectively, with a median follow-up of 32 months (range, 11-58). The mean disease-free survival was 21.0 +/- 9.0 months (95% CI: 3.3-38.7). The 3-year disease-free and overall survivals for stage III and IV were 14.3% and 28.6%, respectively. The mean disease-free survival time was 18.6 +/- 6.7 months (95% CI: 5.4-31.8). The most frequent site of metastasis was the lungs, seen in four patients, and liver in three patients. Loco-regional, intra-abdominal lymph node, peritoneum, bone, brain recurrences were also seen in one patient each. The mean survival after recurrence was 19.0 +/- 3.3 months (95% CI: 12.6-25.5), and the 50% survival was 18.4 months with mitotan and cytotoxic drug therapy.
Conclusions:
Resection for stage III, IV ACCs affords the possibility of negative margins, acceptable peri-operative morbidity and mortality, and prolongs survival in selected patients.
