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. 2014 Mar-Apr;8(3-4):E132-6.
doi: 10.5489/cuaj.977.

The diagnosis and treatment of primary adrenal lipomatous tumours in Chinese patients: A 31-year follow-up study

Juping Zhao  1 , Fukang Sun  1 , Xiaolong Jing  2 , Wenlong Zhou  1 , Xin Huang  1 , Haofei Wang  1 , Yu Zhu  1 , Fei Yuan  2 , Zhoujun Shen  1
Affiliations

The diagnosis and treatment of primary adrenal lipomatous tumours in Chinese patients: A 31-year follow-up study

Juping Zhao et al. Can Urol Assoc J. 2014 Mar-Apr.

Abstract

Introduction: Adrenal lipomatous tumours (ALTs) are rarely encountered in clinical practice and consequently little is known about their clinical features.

Methods: We analyze the clinical features, diagnosis and treatment of ALTs based on cases presenting at a single centre over a 31-year period. We reviewed clinical data from patients with primary adrenal tumours treated at the Ruijin Hospital, Shanghai between January 1980 and December 2010.

Results: A total of 73 cases of primary ALTs in 22 men and 51 women (mean age 51.1±14.2 years) were reviewed. The ALTs included 65 myelolipomas (89.0%), 3 lipomas (4.1%), 2 angiomyolipomas (2.7%), 2 teratomas (2.7%), and 1 liposarcoma (1.4%). Of the total 73 patients, 24 of them had tumours in the left adrenal gland, 47 in the right gland and 2 had bilateral tumours. In total, 51 patients underwent open surgery and 22 laparoscopic surgery.

Conclusion: Myelolipoma is predominant among the various types of lipomatous adrenal gland tumours; it accounts for about 90% of all cases. Surgery is recommended for tumours ≥3.5 cm in diameter, for all cases of symptomatic tumour, and for cases of teratoma or liposarcoma identified by preoperative imaging.

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Figures

Fig. 1.
Fig. 1.
A 51-year-old woman with left adrenal tumour (myelolipoma). A. Contrast-enhanced computed tomography image shows a 20-cm low-attenuation tumour (yellow arrows) in the left adrenal gland. B. An encapsulated postoperative myelolipoma specimen weighed 1750 g. C. An adrenal myelolipoma with mature adipose cells (yellow arrow). Hematoxylin and eosin staining at 200× original magnification.
Fig. 2.
Fig. 2.
A 31-year-old woman with right adrenal tumour (liposarcoma). A. Contrast-enhanced computed tomography image shows a 12.3-cm low-attenuation tumour (yellow arrows) in the right adrenal gland. B. The postoperative liposarcoma specimen weighed 1250 g. C. An adrenal liposarcoma with lipoblast cells (yellow arrow). Hematoxylin and eosin staining at 200× original magnification.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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