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Updated: Mar 26, 2026
Endoscopic Endonasal Trans-sphenoidal Approach: Minimally Invasive Surgery for Pituitary Adenomas
Published on: January 17, 2018
Outcomes after resection of cortisol-secreting adrenocortical carcinoma
Georgios Antonios Margonis1, Yuhree Kim1, Thuy B Tran2
1Department of Surgery, The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, 600 N. Wolfe Street, Blalock 688, Baltimore, MD, 21287, USA.
Background:
We sought to define the impact of cortisol-secreting status on outcomes after surgical resection of adrenocortical carcinoma (ACC).
Methods:
The U.S ACC group database was queried to identify patients who underwent ACC resection between 1993 and 2014. The short-term and long-term outcomes were assessed.
Results:
The incidence of all functional and cortisol-secreting tumors was 40.6% and 22.6%, respectively. On multivariable analysis, cortisol secretion remained associated with an increased risk of postoperative complications (odds ratio = 2.25, 95 % confidence interval = 1.04 to 4.88; P = .04). At a median follow-up of 17.6 months, 118 patients (50.4%) had developed a recurrence. On multivariable analysis, after adjusting for patient and disease-related factors cortisol secretion independently predicted shorter recurrence-free survival (Hazard ratio = 2.05, 95% confidence interval = 1.16 to 3.60; P = .01).
Conclusions:
Cortisol secretion was associated with an increased risk of postoperative morbidity. Recurrence remains high among patients with ACC after surgery; cortisol secretion was independently associated with a shorter recurrence-free survival. Tailoring postoperative surveillance of ACC patients based on their cortisol secreting status may be important.
