Predictors of Survival in Adrenocortical Carcinoma: An Analysis From the National Cancer Database

Abstract

Context: Adrenocortical carcinoma (ACC) is rare; knowledge about prognostic factors and survival outcomes is limited.

Objective: To describe predictors of survival and overall survival (OS) outcomes.

Design and patients: Retrospective analysis of data from the National Cancer Database (NCDB) from 2004 to 2015 on 3185 patients with pathologically confirmed ACC.

Main outcome measures: Baseline description, survival outcomes, and predictors of survival were evaluated in patients with ACC.

Results: Median age at ACC diagnosis was 55 (range: 18 to 90) years; did not differ significantly by sex or stage of the disease at diagnosis. On multivariate analysis, increasing age, higher Charlson-Deyo comorbidity index score, high tumor grade, and no surgical therapy (all P < 0.0001); and stage IV disease (P = 0.002) and lymphadenectomy during surgery (P = 0.02) were associated with poor prognosis. Patients with stage I-III disease treated with surgical resection had significantly better median OS (63 vs 8 months; P < 0.001). In stage IV disease, better median OS occurred in patients treated with surgery (19 vs 6 months; P < 0.001), and postsurgical radiation (29 vs 10 months; P < 0.001) or chemotherapy (22 vs 13 months; P = 0.004).

Conclusion: OS varied with increasing age, higher comorbidity index, grade, and stage of ACC at presentation. There was improved survival with surgical resection of primary tumor, irrespective of disease stage; postsurgical chemotherapy or radiation was of benefit only in stage IV disease.