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Case Reports
. 2022 Jul 11;14(7):e26749.
doi: 10.7759/cureus.26749. eCollection 2022 Jul.

Metastasis of Melanoma to the Adrenal Glands: A Case Report and Literature Review

Asad A Haider  1 , Ariel Ruiz de Villa  1 , Leora Frimer  1 , Yvette Bazikian  1
Affiliations
Case Reports

Metastasis of Melanoma to the Adrenal Glands: A Case Report and Literature Review

Asad A Haider et al. Cureus. .

Abstract

Immune checkpoint inhibitors have significantly improved the prognosis of metastatic melanoma, but metastases to the adrenal glands remain highly resistant to these new treatments. Adrenal gland metastases from melanoma can present in an unusual manner, such as in this report, making it diagnostically and therapeutically challenging. In this case report, we present a patient with histologically confirmed metastatic melanoma to the adrenal glands, a large intracardiac mass suspicious for metastatic disease, and an inferior vena cava thrombus. We review the existing literature to explain the unique characteristics, clinical relevance, pathogenesis, diagnosis, and treatment of adrenal gland metastases from melanoma.

Keywords: adrenal disorders; bilateral adrenal masses; braf mutation; cancer immunotherapy; inferior vena cava tumor thrombus; malignant melanoma metastasis; metatatic skin cancer; right atrial cardiac mass; ­skin cancer.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1. Representative CTA image of the chest showing a heterogeneous mass in the right atrium of the heart.
Blue arrow indicates the location of the mass. CTA: computed tomography angiography.
Figure 2
Figure 2. Representative original image (A) and inverted image (B) of the CT of the abdomen showing a thrombus extending from the IVC to the hepatic veins.
Blue arrows indicate the location of the thrombus in the IVC. Red arrows indicate vessel expansion of the IVC due to the thrombus, suggesting a tumor thrombus rather than a bland thrombus. CT: computed tomography. IVC: inferior vena cava.
Figure 3
Figure 3. Representative original image (A) and inverted image (B) of the MRI of the abdomen showing bilateral, heterogeneous adrenal gland masses.
Blue arrows indicate the location of the adrenal gland masses, with accompanying measurements of the masses in (A). MRI: magnetic resonance imaging.
Figure 4
Figure 4. Representative images of an immunostained specimen biopsied from the left adrenal gland.
Immunohistochemistry, magnification ×40. (A) H&E, (B) S100 positive, (C) Melan-A positive, and (D) SOX10 positive. H&E: hematoxylin and eosin; SOX10: SRY-related HMG-box protein 10.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

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