Context: Although complete surgical resection provides the only means of cure in adrenocortical carcinoma (ACC), the magnitude of the survival benefit of adrenalectomy in metastatic ACC (mACC) is unknown.
Objective: To assess the effect of adrenalectomy on survival outcomes in patients with mACC in a real-world setting.
Design and setting: Patients with mACC were identified within the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results database (SEER 2004-2020) and we tested for differences according to adrenalectomy status.
Patients: Patients aged ≥18 years with metastatic ACC at initial presentation who were treated between 2004-2020.
Intervention: Primary tumor resection status (Adrenalectomy vs no-adrenalectomy).
Main outcome and measures: Kaplan-Meier plots, multivariable Cox regression models and landmark analyses were used. Sensitivity analyses focused on use of systemic therapy, contemporary (2012-2020) vs. historical (2004-2011), single vs. multiple metastatic sites and assessable specific solitary metastatic sites (lung only and liver only).
Results: Of 543 patients with mACC, 194 (36%) underwent adrenalectomy. In multivariable analyses, adrenalectomy was associated with lower overall mortality without (hazard ratio [HR]: 0.39; p<0.001), as well as with three months' landmark analyses (HR: 0.57, p=0.002). The same association effect with three months' landmark analyses was recorded in patients exposed to systemic therapy (HR: 0.49, p<0.001), contemporary patients (HR: 0.57, p=0.004), historical patients (HR: 0.42 , p<0.001), and in those with lung only solitary metastasis (HR: 0.50, p=0.02). In contrast, no significant association was recorded in patients naïve to systemic therapy (HR: 0.68, p=0.3), those with multiple metastatic sites (HR: 0.55, p=0.07) and those with liver only solitary metastasis (HR: 0.98, p=0.9).
Conclusions: The current results indicate a potential protective effect of adrenalectomy in mACC, particularly in patients exposed to systemic therapy and those with lung-only metastases.
Keywords: adrenalectomy; adrenocortical carcinoma; cytoreductive surgery; metastatic.
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