title: Adrenalectomy for solitary adrenal metastasis from colorectal cancer: A case report.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Patients with adrenal metastasis from various primary tumours are regarded as cases of diffuse systemic spread and considered unsuitable for surgical resection. We herein report an operable case of heterochronic adrenal metastasis from colorectal carcinoma in a 63-year-old woman.
  
  
  METHODS
  Sixteen months after low anterior resection for the primary tumour, left lower pneumonectomy was performed for a solitary lung metastasis. Four months later a right adrenal metastasis was detected by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), as sole evidence of metastatic disease. A right adrenalectomy was performed. The histopathological examination revealed adenocarcinoma compatible with the colorectal carcinoma resected 19 months earlier. The patient received adjuvant chemotherapy after each operation and is alive and free of disease 21 months after the adrenalectomy.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The possibility of adrenal metastasis should be considered in the follow-up of patients after primary surgery for colorectal cancer, even though other sites are the main metastatic sites. Although the prognosis of adrenal metastasis from colorectal cancer is poor, we suggest that patients with solitary adrenal metastasis may benefit from complete removal of it.
authors.affiliation: Departments of Surgery, Interbalkan European Medical Center, Thessaloniki, Greece. dr.ckosmidis@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Christopher
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Kosmidis
authors.forename: Christopher
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Efthimiadis
authors.forename: George
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Anthimidis
authors.forename: Sofia
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Levva
authors.forename: Georgia
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Ioannidou
authors.forename: Thomas
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Zaramboukas
authors.forename: Christos
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Emmanouilides
authors.forename: Sofia
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Baka
authors.forename: Maria
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kosmidou
authors.forename: Georgios
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Basdanis
authors.forename: Epaminondas
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Fachantidis