Abstract
Adrenal cortical carcinoma (ACC) is a rare and highly malignant tumour with up to 70% of the patients diagnosed at an advanced clinical stage, up to 40% presenting with metastases. Even after complete surgical excision, up to 80% of the patients show locoregional recurrence or metastases. We report a case of a 62-year-old woman with a non-functional ACC of the left adrenal gland (T2 N0 M0 classified as stage II). After the initial resection, 3 operations for metastasis of the contralateral adrenal gland and 4 operations for metastasis of the lungs were carried out, allowing survival for more than 28 years with a good quality of life. This case report emphasises the need for careful clinical and radiographic follow-up. A repeat surgical approach should be adopted whenever possible providing long-term survival over decades.
Footnotes
- Received January 15, 2004.
- Accepted March 5, 2004.
- Copyright© 2004 International Institute of Anticancer Research (Dr. John G. Delinassios), All rights reserved