Diagnosis and management of adrenocortical carcinoma

Objective To study the diagnosis and treatment of adrenocortical carcinoma. Me thods 21 cases of adrenocortical carcinoma,13 men and 8 women,were reviewed.Endocrinosis was involved in 10 patients,7 of which suffered from Cushing's syndrome.The diameter of the tumors ranged from 4 to 19cm with a mean of 8.5cm.On CT or/and MRI scan,the boundary of the tumor was not clear cut and the tumor density was usually uneven. Results Radical adrenolectomy was undertaken in 17 with a 2 year survival rate of 30%.Whereas,the natural history of adrenocortical carcinoma without treatment is less than one year. Conclusions Imaging procedures are important for the early diagnosis of adrenocortical carcinoma.Prompt radical adrenolectomy is the only means to achieve a long survival.