Faculty Collaboration Database

A Novel T-Stage Classification System for Adrenocortical Carcinoma: Proposal from the US Adrenocortical Carcinoma Study Group. Ann Surg Oncol 2018 Feb;25(2):520-527

Date

11/23/2017

Pubmed ID

29164414

Pubmed Central ID

PMC6087546

DOI

10.1245/s10434-017-6236-1

Scopus ID

2-s2.0-85034668895 (requires institutional sign-in at Scopus site)   15 Citations

Abstract

BACKGROUND: The 7th AJCC T-stage system for adrenocortical carcinoma (ACC), based on size and extra-adrenal invasion, does not adequately stratify patients by survival. Lymphovascular invasion (LVI) is a known poor prognostic factor. We propose a novel T-stage system that incorporates LVI to better risk-stratify patients undergoing resection for ACC.

METHOD: Patients undergoing curative-intent resections for ACC from 1993 to 2014 at 13 institutions comprising the US ACC Group were included. Primary outcome was disease-specific survival (DSS).

RESULTS: Of the 265 patients with ACC, 149 were included for analysis. The current T-stage system failed to differentiate patients with T2 versus T3 disease (p = 0.10). Presence of LVI was associated with worse DSS versus no LVI (36 mo vs. 168 mo; p = 0.001). After accounting for the individual components of the current T-stage system (size, extra-adrenal invasion), LVI remained a poor prognostic factor on multivariable analysis (hazard ratio 2.14, 95% confidence interval 1.05-4.38, p = 0.04). LVI positivity further stratified patients with T2 and T3 disease (T2: 37 mo vs. median not reached; T3: 36 mo vs. 96 mo; p = 0.03) but did not influence survival in patients with T1 or T4 disease. By incorporating LVI, a new T-stage classification system was created: [T1: ≤ 5 cm, (-)local invasion, (+/-)LVI; T2: > 5 cm, (-)local invasion, (-)LVI OR any size, (+)local invasion, (-)LVI; T3: > 5 cm, (-)local invasion, (+)LVI OR any size, (+)local invasion, (+)LVI; T4: any size, (+)adjacent organ invasion, (+/-)LVI]. Each progressive new T-stage group was associated with worse median DSS (T1: 167 mo; T2: 96 mo; T3: 37 mo; T4: 15 mo; p < 0.001).

CONCLUSIONS: Compared with the current T-stage system, the proposed T-stage system, which incorporates LVI, better differentiates T2 and T3 disease and accurately stratifies patients by disease-specific survival. If externally validated, this T-stage classification should be considered for future AJCC staging systems.

Author List

Poorman CE, Ethun CG, Postlewait LM, Tran TB, Prescott JD, Pawlik TM, Wang TS, Glenn J, Hatzaras I, Shenoy R, Phay JE, Keplinger K, Fields RC, Jin LX, Weber SM, Salem A, Sicklick JK, Gad S, Yopp AC, Mansour JC, Duh QY, Seiser N, Solórzano CC, Kiernan CM, Votanopoulos KI, Levine EA, Staley CA, Poultsides GA, Maithel SK

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
Female
Follow-Up Studies
Humans
Lymphatic Metastasis
Male
Middle Aged
Neoplasm Invasiveness
Neoplasm Staging
Retrospective Studies
Risk Factors
Survival Rate
Treatment Outcome
Tumor Burden
United States