Percutaneous Image-Guided Thermal Ablation of Adrenal Metastasis from Melanoma: A Single-Institution Experience

The outcomes of technically successful image-guided percutaneous thermal ablation of melanoma adrenal metastases involving 11 tumors in 9 consecutive patients over 12 years (2009-2020) were evaluated. All patients had multiple treated metastatic sites, and 44.4% (4/9) had greater than 5 metastatic sites. The mean maximal tumor diameter was 3.6 ± 1.6 cm. The local recurrence-free survival at 1 year was 85.7%. With a median survival of 19.4 months, 66.6% (6/9) of patients died from tumor progression. The 1- and 3-year overall survival rate was 60.0% and 30.0%, respectively. All patients were pretreated with alpha-adrenergic blockade, and 36% (4/11) developed a hypertensive crisis. The median hospital length of stay was 1 day (range, 1-2 days), without any major complications. Thermal ablation of adrenal metastasis from a melanoma provides acceptable local control and a good safety profile.