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. 2024 Jul 5;29(7):575-580.
doi: 10.1093/oncolo/oyae099.

Venous thromboembolism in adrenocortical carcinoma: a retrospective analysis

Marta Laganà  1   2 , Vania Balderrama-Brondani  2 , Kelsey Ruth Herrera  3 , Brenda Chahla  2 , Feyza Yaylaci  2 , Roland L Bassett  4 , Camilo Jimenez  2 , Jeena Varghese  2 , Steven G Waguespack  2 , Matthew T Campbell  5 , Amishi Y Shah  5 , Cristhiam M Rojas Hernandez  6 , Mouhammed Amir Habra  2
Affiliations

Venous thromboembolism in adrenocortical carcinoma: a retrospective analysis

Marta Laganà et al. Oncologist. .

Abstract

Background: Venous thromboembolism (VTE) is a leading cause of death in patients with cancer. Limited data exist about VTE in patients with adrenocortical carcinoma (ACC). The primary objective of this study was to identify the prevalence of VTE in a cohort of patients with ACC. Secondary objectives were to determine the impact of VTE events on overall survival (OS) and to describe the characteristics of VTE in patients with ACC.

Patients and methods: We retrospectively reviewed data from 289 patients with ACC cared for at a major referral center from February 2010 to June 2022.

Results: VTE prevalence was 18.7% (54 events). Thirty patients (55.6%) had pulmonary embolism (PE); 12 patients (22.2%) had deep vein thrombosis (DVT); and 12 patients (22.2%) had both PE and DVT. VTE occurred after ACC diagnosis in 50 patients (92.6%) including 44 patients (88%) with stage 3 or 4 ACC. VTEs were CTCAE grade ≤2 in 32 cases (59.3%), grade 3 in 17 (31.5%), and grade 4 in 2 (3.7%). Thirteen patients (24%) died within 6 months after VTE diagnosis, although there was no statistically significant association between VTE and overall survival.

Conclusion: Despite the potential to underestimate the prevalence of VTEs, we found a high frequency of VTE events in patients with ACC. A majority of VTEs occurred in the context of advanced ACC and we observed high short-term mortality. Further studies are needed to validate our findings and investigate mechanisms associated with VTE in ACC.

Keywords: adrenocortical carcinoma; deep venous thrombosis; prevalence; pulmonary embolism.

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Conflict of interest statement

C.J. reports receiving research funding to the institution from Exelixis, Lantheus Pharmaceuticals, Progenics Pharmaceuticals, and Merck Sharp and Dohme and is a scientific advisory board member for Lantheus Pharmaceuticals, Progenics Pharmaceuticals, and Merk Sharp and Dohme. M.T.C. reported institutional research funding from ApricityHealth, AstraZeneca, Exelixis, Janssen, Pfizer, SeaGen, and the United States Department of Defense; Speaker’s Bureau participation with Curio Science, Dava Oncology, and MJH Life Sciences; and Advisory Board/Honorarium from Exelixis, Eisai, and SeaGen. The other authors indicated no financial relationships.

Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
Overall survival curve. Patients were classified in 2 groups, with VTE (blue line) and with no VTE event (red line).
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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