Adrenal Metastasectomy in the Presence and Absence of Extraadrenal Metastatic Disease.

Objective: To determine if there are differences in overall survival (OS) or event-free survival (EFS) in patients with and without concomitant extra-adrenal metastases undergoing adrenal metastasectomy.

Background: There is growing interest in the use of local therapies in patients with oligometastatic disease. Previously published series have indicated that long-term survival is possible with resection. Adrenalectomy has been used to treat adrenal metastases in select patients.

Methods: Patients who underwent adrenal metastasectomy from 1994 to 2015 were identified from a prospectively maintained institutional database of adrenalectomy patients, excluding adrenalectomies due to tumor extension or for palliation. Sites of disease, treatment history, and survival data were extracted from chart review.

Results: One hundred seventy-four patients were included. Tumor histology included 68 nonsmall cell lung cancer, 34 renal cancer, 18 colorectal cancer, 11 melanoma cancer, 10 hepatocellular cancer, 8 sarcoma cancer, and 25 other cancers. The median follow-up among survivors was 5.2 (1-21) years. OS at 3 and 5 years was 50% and 40%, respectively. Patients with (n = 83) and without (n = 91) extra-adrenal metastases did not differ with respect to age, adrenal tumor size, or margin status. Median OS (3.3 years for patients with concomitant extra-adrenal metastases and 3.0 years for patients with isolated adrenal metastases; P = 0.816) and EFS (9.39 vs 9.59 months; P = 0.87) were similar. Factors negatively associated with OS included adrenal tumor size (P < 0.01), renal primary versus other (P < 0.01), and adrenal margin status (P < 0.01).

Conclusions: In selected patients undergoing adrenal metastasectomy, there were no significant differences in OS or EFS between patients with and without concomitant extra-adrenal metastases.