Clinical and biological features in the prognosis of adrenocortical cancer: poor outcome of cortisol-secreting tumors in a series of 202 consecutive patients.
BACKGROUND
Adrenocortical carcinomas (ACC) are rare tumors with a poor prognosis. Few reports concerning large and homogeneous series are available.


OBJECTIVE
We aimed to determine the clinical characteristics and outcome of ACC and to identify prognostic factors.


METHODS
This study is a descriptive and multivariate analysis of a cohort from a single endocrinology center.


METHODS
A total of 202 consecutive patients with ACC were studied.


RESULTS
The sex ratio (female to male) was 2.7. Mean age at diagnosis was 44 +/- 16 yr (range, 11-88 yr). We found that 154 patients (76%) had hypersecreting tumors [mostly cortisol and androgens (47%), cortisol alone (27%), or androgens alone (6%)] and 43 patients (21%) had metastases at diagnosis. At initial staging or during follow-up, 85 patients (42%) had liver metastases, 79 patients (39%) had lung metastases, and 20 patients had bone metastases (10%). The survival rate was 37% at 5 yr. Multivariate analysis identified the following independent prognostic factors associated with shorter survival: older age at diagnosis [hazard ratio (HR), 1.03; P < 0.0001], initial MacFarlane extension stages 3 (HR, 4.42; P = 0.005) and 4 (HR, 7.93; P < 0.0001), and cortisol hypersecretion (HR, 3.90; P < 0.0001). Treatment with 1,1-dichlorodiphenildichloroethane (o,p'DDD) in the 3 months after surgery increased the survival rate of patients with cortisol-secreting tumors (HR, 0.40; P = 0.04).


CONCLUSIONS
This study highlights the better prognosis of ACC diagnosed at a noninvasive local stage, the particularly poor prognosis of patients with cortisol-secreting tumors, and the beneficial effect of o,p'DDD therapy in this subgroup of patients.
Abiven
Gwenaelle
G
Service d'Endocrinologie, Hôpital Cochin, 27, rue du Faubourg Saint-Jacques, 75014, Paris, France.
Coste
Joel
J
Groussin
Lionel
L
Anract
Philippe
P
Tissier
Frédérique
F
Legmann
Paul
P
Dousset
Bertrand
B
Bertagna
Xavier
X
Bertherat
Jérôme
J