Faculty Collaboration Database

Lymphadenectomy for Adrenocortical Carcinoma: Is There a Therapeutic Benefit? Ann Surg Oncol 2016 Dec;23(Suppl 5):708-713

Date

09/04/2016

Pubmed ID

27590329

Pubmed Central ID

PMC5257294

DOI

10.1245/s10434-016-5536-1

Scopus ID

2-s2.0-84984870773 (requires institutional sign-in at Scopus site)   35 Citations

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Lymph node metastasis is an established predictor of poor outcome for adrenocortical carcinoma (ACC); however, routine lymphadenectomy during surgical resection of ACC is not widely performed and its therapeutic role remains unclear.

METHODS: Patients undergoing margin-negative resection for localized ACC were identified from a multi-institutional database. Patients were stratified into 2 groups based on the surgeon's effort or not to perform a lymphadenectomy as documented in the operative note. Clinical, pathologic, and outcome data were compared between the 2 groups.

RESULTS: Of 120 patients who met inclusion criteria from 1993 to 2014, 32 (27 %) underwent lymphadenectomy. Factors associated with lymphadenectomy were tumor size (12 vs. 9.5 cm; p = .007), palpable mass at presentation (26 vs. 12 %; p = .07), suspicious lymph nodes on preoperative imaging (44 vs. 7 %; p < .001), and need for multivisceral resection (78 vs. 36 %; p < .001). Median number of lymph nodes harvested was higher in the lymphadenectomy group (5.5 vs. 0; p < .001). In-hospital mortality (0 vs. 1.3 %; p = .72) and grade 3/4 complication rates (0 vs. 12 %; p = .061) were not significantly different. Patients who underwent lymphadenectomy had improved overall survival (5-year 76 vs. 59 %; p = .041). The benefit of lymphadenectomy on overall survival persisted on multivariate analysis (HR = 0.17; p = .006) controlling for adverse preoperative and intraoperative factors associated with lymphadenectomy, such as tumor size, palpable mass, irregular tumor edges, suspicious nodes on imaging, and multivisceral resection.

CONCLUSIONS: In this multicenter study of adrenocortical carcinoma patients undergoing R0 resection, the surgeon's effort to dissect peritumoral lymph nodes was independently associated with improved overall survival.

Author List

Gerry JM, Tran TB, Postlewait LM, Maithel SK, Prescott JD, Wang TS, Glenn JA, Phay JE, Keplinger K, Fields RC, Jin LX, Weber SM, Salem A, Sicklick JK, Gad S, Yopp AC, Mansour JC, Duh QY, Seiser N, Solorzano CC, Kiernan CM, Votanopoulos KI, Levine EA, Hatzaras I, Shenoy R, Pawlik TM, Norton JA, Poultsides GA

Author

Tracy S. Wang MD, MPH Professor in the Surgery department at Medical College of Wisconsin

MESH terms used to index this publication - Major topics in bold

Adrenal Cortex Neoplasms
Adrenalectomy
Adrenocortical Carcinoma
Adult
Female
Hospital Mortality
Humans
Lymph Node Excision
Lymph Nodes
Lymphatic Metastasis
Male
Middle Aged
Postoperative Complications
Retrospective Studies
Survival Rate
Tumor Burden