Primary adrenal teratoma: Clinical characteristics and retroperitoneal laparoscopic resection in five adults

Primary adrenal teratoma is extremely rare. To investigate the clinical characteristics and further enrich the limited knowledge on its diagnosis and treatment, the present study retrospectively analyzed the detailed clinical data of five patients with primary adrenal teratomas treated in the Peking Union Medical College Hospital (Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China) between March 2009 and February 2014. The five patients were female, aged from 16 to 51 years (mean, 36.0±16.3 years), with solitary lesions that were incidentally found on routine physical examinations. The tumor size ranged from 2.4 to 9.0 cm (mean, 6.0±2.7 cm). Ultrasonography revealed a mixed echo in four patients, and computed tomography showed mixed density masses with fat components and calcification in three patients. Adrenal-related endocrine tests were normal in all five patients, and no abnormalities were found in the three patients who underwent somatostatin receptor scintigraphy examination. All patients were treated with retroperitoneal laparoscopic surgery, with no complications, and the resected tumors were identified as mature cystic teratomas pathologically. To date, the patients have been followed up for 4-60 months post-operatively, with no recurrence. In conclusion, this rare adrenal teratoma is an occult entity to which reproductive females are susceptible. The tumor exhibits no typical clinical manifestations or adrenal-related laboratory abnormalities, and the pre-operative diagnosis mainly relies on imaging characteristics of a heterogeneous lesion containing fat components with scattered and marginal calcifications. The preferred treatment is retroperitoneal laparoscopic surgery, and the prognosis is good.