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Metastasis to the adrenal glands is a relatively frequent observation at autopsy of patients that have succumbed to cancer. Long-term disease-free survival has been reported in patients following the resection of solitary adrenal metastasis resulting from colorectal cancer. In addition, following primary resection for colorectal cancer, solitary metastasis to the adrenal glands is rare, even in outpatients at routine follow-ups. Therefore, adrenal metastasis is usually detected in combination with multiple synchronous metastases at other sites in the terminal stages of cancer. Between 1998 and 2002, 3 patients with adrenal metastasis and other synchronous metastatic sites underwent surgery for adrenal metastasis at the Department of Gastroenterological Surgery at Osaka University. The other synchronous metastatic sites observed in the 3 patients consisted of lung and para-aortic lymph nodes. In total, 2 out of the 3 patients experienced long-term disease-free survival for >5 years following surgery and 1 patient underwent curative resection for recurrence of metastases in the liver and right adrenal gland 79 months subsequent to the initial resection for adrenal metastasis. All 3 patients survived for >90 months. In conclusion, aggressive surgical resection for adrenal metastasis and other metastatic sites resulting from colorectal cancer may result in a survival benefit in selected patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Renal cell carcinomas (RCCs) metastasize to the adrenal glands via various mechanisms, including lymphatic vessel arterial embolism and retrograde venous embolism. The rate of ipsilateral metastasis is 3-5% and the rate of contralateral metastasis is ~0.7%, however, synchronous bilateral adrenal metastases are extremely rare. Therefore, the optimal diagnosis and treatment strategy for this condition is yet to be thoroughly defined. In the present study, a 50-year-old male patient presented with right flank pain. Ultrasonography (US) revealed a right renal mass and bilateral adrenal metastases, and a computerized tomography (CT) scan determined the size of the lesions: An 86x83x66-mm mass in the lower pole of the right kidney, an 18x12x10-mm mass in the right adrenal gland, and a 69x51x53-mm mass in the left adrenal gland with central necrosis and peripheral contrast uptake. A US-guided biopsy was performed which determined a diagnosis of right RCC and bilateral synchronous adrenal metastasis. Immunohistochemical examination of the biopsy revealed clear cell carcinoma (Fuhrman grade, III). Consequently, right radical nephrectomy, right partial adrenalectomy (with frozen section examination) and left adrenalectomy were planned. The bilateral synchronous adrenal metastases posed a challenge in the diagnosis and treatment of the disease, as there is no standard approach in the literature for the treatment of such patients. However, metastasectomy was selected, as it appears to be the most effective treatment strategy for increasing the rate of cancer-specific survival. As an adrenal mass was [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A 49-year-old female patient presented with a massive left renal tumor, recurrent left flank pain and gross hematuria. The tumor was accompanied by a renal vein tumor thrombus, pancreatic infiltration and a solitary adrenal metastasis. Radical nephrectomy, distal pancreatectomy, ipsilateral adrenalectomy and splenectomy were performed. Histopathological examination suggested high-grade urothelial carcinoma (UC); however, tumor recurrence and multiple metastases were detected only 3 months after the surgery, and the patient succumbed during follow-up 1 month later. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first case of renal UC of such advanced stage with renal vein tumor thrombus, pancreatic infiltration and a solitary adrenal metastasis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Metastasis to the adrenal glands is a relatively frequent observation at autopsy of patients that have succumbed to cancer. Long-term disease-free survival has been reported in patients following the resection of solitary adrenal metastasis resulting from colorectal cancer. In addition, following primary resection for colorectal cancer, solitary metastasis to the adrenal glands is rare, even in outpatients at routine follow-ups. Therefore, adrenal metastasis is usually detected in combination with multiple synchronous metastases at other sites in the terminal stages of cancer. Between 1998 and 2002, 3 patients with adrenal metastasis and other synchronous metastatic sites underwent surgery for adrenal metastasis at the Department of Gastroenterological Surgery at Osaka University. The other synchronous metastatic sites observed in the 3 patients consisted of lung and para-aortic lymph nodes. In total, 2 out of the 3 patients experienced long-term disease-free survival for >5 years following surgery and 1 patient underwent curative resection for recurrence of metastases in the liver and right adrenal gland 79 months subsequent to the initial resection for adrenal metastasis. All 3 patients survived for >90 months. In conclusion, aggressive surgical resection for adrenal metastasis and other metastatic sites resulting from colorectal cancer may result in a survival benefit in selected patients.

A 49-year-old female patient presented with a massive left renal tumor, recurrent left flank pain and gross hematuria. The tumor was accompanied by a renal vein tumor thrombus, pancreatic infiltration and a solitary adrenal metastasis. Radical nephrectomy, distal pancreatectomy, ipsilateral adrenalectomy and splenectomy were performed. Histopathological examination suggested high-grade urothelial carcinoma (UC); however, tumor recurrence and multiple metastases were detected only 3 months after the surgery, and the patient succumbed during follow-up 1 month later. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first case of renal UC of such advanced stage with renal vein tumor thrombus, pancreatic infiltration and a solitary adrenal metastasis.