Adrenocortical Carcinoma: A Clinician's Perspective

Abstract

Within the category of orphan diseases and rare malignancies, adrenocortical carcinoma (ACC) represents an aggressive entity with high mortality and morbidity. While localized tumors which are diagnosed early can be cured with surgical intervention, there are prognostic factors which predict for micrometastases and consequent recurrent and advanced disease. In such cases, mitotane and cytotoxic chemotherapy have been utilized with a modest degree of benefit. The poor prognosis of recurrent and advanced ACC has underscored the interest in nuanced characterization of ACC cases to guide the personalized use of immunotherapeutic and novel targeted therapies.

Keywords: Adrenal cortex tumors; Adrenocortical carcinoma; Mitotane; Platinum-based chemotherapy; Rare malignancies.