Comprehensive evaluation of adrenal cortical cancer: Single-center 22-year experience

Adrenocortical carcinoma (ACC) is a rare malignancy with a reported incidence of 0.5–2 cases per million population per year. Literature is scarce on this malignancy with poor prognosis and limited treatment options. The objective of this report was to report a single-center experience of this rare malignancy. A retrospective chart review (1997–2019) was performed on patients diagnosed with ACC via surgical pathology. Data were subsequently split into two time periods defined by the date of initial presentation: 1996–2007 and 2008–2019. 52 patients were identified, 55.8 % were female, and the mean age at the time of surgery was 53 years. Most common presentations (25 % each) were: incidentalomas, abdominal pain, or hormonal hypersecretion. Laboratory evidence of hormonal hypersecretion was identified in 40.4 %. Among those patients, elevated 24-hour urinary free cortisol was the most common finding in both time periods. The overall 5-year survival rate was 53.1 % and showed significant improvement in recent years when compared between the two time periods, 85.7 % vs 40.0 %. P = 0.004. Overall, the most common presentation of ACC was found to be equally distributed among incidentaloma, hormonal hypersecretion, and abdominal pain. Hypercortisolism, a recognized poor prognosticator, was the most frequent form of hormonal hypersecretion. The 5-year survival rate for ACC was noted to be poor in general; however, it was observed to be substantially higher in more recent years. More research is necessary to further understand this malignancy in order to optimize management and improve outcomes. This report provides a valuable contribution and expands the knowledge base for this important yet rare malignancy. The objective of this study was to report a single-center experience of ACC by characterizing patients diagnosed with this rare disease and managed at our institution and assessing their outcomes. •ACC is a rare malignancy with a poor prognosis.•Presentation varies and includes hormonal hypersecretion, local tumor effect, and incidental diagnosis.•Surgical pathology is the confirmatory diagnostic tool.•Management options are limited and relay mainly on surgical resection. Adjuvant therapy includes mitotane, other chemotherapy, and radiation.•Prognosis is poor even with complete surgical resection. However, some improvement was noted in the more recent years.