Management of adrenal masses in patients with Beckwith-Wiedemann syndrome

Molecular and Clinical Features of Adrenocortical Tumors in Beckwith-Wiedemann Spectrum

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES

Adrenocortical tumors (ACTs), including adrenocortical adenoma (ACA) and carcinoma (ACC), represent 0.3-0.4% of pediatric tumors. Beckwith-Wiedemann spectrum (BWSp) confer an increased risk of ACTs, but prognosis, management, and associated molecular characteristics are unclear.

METHODS

This paper combines a literature review of 54 published cases of BWSp-ACT with a report of one newly identified patient, totaling 55 cases with a confirmed BWSp clinical and/or molecular diagnosis.

RESULTS

Nineteen patients with ACA, 33 with ACC, and 3 with ACT of uncertain malignant potential (umACT) were included. Twenty patients had uniparental disomy of chromosome 11p15.5 (patUPD11), 11imprinting Center 2 Loss-of-methylation (IC2-LoM), and had 2 11p15 locus duplication. Eleven patients were diagnosed during cancer screening procedures, including two metastatic at diagnosis ACC.

CONCLUSIONS

Almost half of ACC patients reached the minimum score for clinical BWSp diagnosis only after ACC onset, suggesting that the BWSp score has limited value for the early diagnosis in such a setting. Two patients with metastatic ACC had a histopathological Wieneke score ≤2, not correlating with clinical malignancy and confirming limitations of the current histopathological classification, as previously documented. Ultrasound screening failed identifying the ACC before metastasis in two cases, indicating an urgent need to develop new strategies for screening of ACTs in BWSp. Furthermore, some cases of metastatic ACC exhibited unexpectedly indolent behavior despite being malignant.

Adrenocortical tumors and hereditary syndromes

INTRODUCTION

Adrenocortical tumors (ACTs) are frequently encountered in clinical practice. They vary in clinical and biological characteristics from nonfunctional to life threatening hormone excess, from benign to highly aggressive malignant tumors. Most ACTs appear to be benign and nonfunctioning. It has been controversial how these apparently benign and nonfunctioning tumors should be monitored. Over the past few decades, significant advances have been made in understanding the regulation of growth and tumorigenesis in adrenocortical cells. Defining the molecular pathomechanisms in inherited tumor syndromes led to the expansion of research to sporadic ACTs. Distinct molecular signatures have been identified in sporadic ACTs and a potential genomic classification of ACT has been proposed.

AREAS COVERED

In this review, we discuss the various adrenocortical pathologies associated with hereditary syndromes with special focus on their molecular pathomechanisms, the understanding of which is important in the era of precision medicine.

EXPERT OPINION

Identifying the molecular pathomechanisms of the adrenocortical tumorigenesis in inherited syndromes has led to the understanding of the alterations in different signaling pathways that help explain the wide variations in the biology and behavior of ACTs.

Advances in translational research of the rare cancer type adrenocortical carcinoma

Adrenocortical carcinoma is a rare malignancy with an annual worldwide incidence of 1-2 cases per 1 million and a 5-year survival rate of <60%. Although adrenocortical carcinoma is rare, such rare cancers account for approximately one third of patients diagnosed with cancer annually. In the past decade, there have been considerable advances in understanding the molecular basis of adrenocortical carcinoma. The genetic events associated with adrenocortical carcinoma in adults are distinct from those of paediatric cases, which are often associated with germline or somatic TP53 mutations and have a better prognosis. In adult primary adrenocortical carcinoma, the main somatic genetic alterations occur in genes that encode proteins involved in the WNT-β-catenin pathway, cell cycle and p53 apoptosis pathway, chromatin remodelling and telomere maintenance pathway, cAMP-protein kinase A (PKA) pathway or DNA transcription and RNA translation pathways. Recently, integrated molecular studies of adrenocortical carcinomas, which have characterized somatic mutations and the methylome as well as gene and microRNA expression profiles, have led to a molecular classification of these tumours that can predict prognosis and have helped to identify new therapeutic targets. In this Review, we summarize these recent translational research advances in adrenocortical carcinoma, which it is hoped could lead to improved patient diagnosis, treatment and outcome.

Histopathologic Features of Adrenal Cortical Carcinoma

Adrenal cortical carcinoma (ACC) is a rare and aggressive malignancy that poses challenging issues regarding the diagnostic workup. Indeed, no presurgical technique or clinical parameters can reliably distinguish between adrenal cortical adenomas, which are more frequent and have a favorable outcome, and ACC, and the final diagnosis largely relies on histopathologic analysis of the surgical specimen. However, even the pathologic assessment of malignancy in an adrenal cortical lesion is not straightforward and requires a combined evaluation of multiple histopathologic features. Starting from the Weiss score, which was developed in 1984, several histopathologic scoring systems have been designed to tackle the difficulties of ACC diagnosis. Dealing with specific histopathologic variants (eg, Liss-Weiss-Bisceglia scoring system for oncocytic ACC) or patient characteristics (eg, Wieneke index in the pediatric setting), these scores remarkably improved the diagnostic workup of ACC and its subtypes. Nevertheless, cases with misleading features or discordant correlations between pathologic findings and clinical behavior still occur. Owing to multicentric collaborative studies integrating morphologic features with ancillary immunohistochemical markers and molecular analysis, ACC has eventually emerged as a multifaceted, heterogenous malignancy, and, while innovative and promising approaches are currently being tested, the future clinical management of patients with ACC will mainly rely on personalized medicine and target-therapy protocols. At the dawn of the new Fifth World Health Organization classification of endocrine tumors, this review will tackle ACC from the pathologist's perspective, thus focusing on the main available diagnostic, prognostic, and predictive tissue-tethered features and biomarkers and providing relevant clinical and molecular correlates.

Adrenal cytomegaly with elevated serum androgen levels in a patient with Beckwith-Wiedemann syndrome

Beckwith-Wiedemann syndrome (BWS) is infrequently associated with adrenocortical carcinoma (ACC) or non-hormone-producing adrenal cytomegaly, but we recently, encountered a single case of adrenal cytomegaly in a patient with BWS, which was difficult to distinguish from androgen-producing adrenocortical carcinoma (ACC). Here, we describe the case of a 4-month-old female who presented with clitoromegaly, hemihypertrophy, and an adrenal mass identified during the prenatal period. The mass was located in detected at the left suprarenal region and detected at 20 weeks of gestational age. At birth, she also presented with clitoromegaly and elevated serum levels of 17α-hydroxyprogesterone, dehydroepiandrosterone, and testosterone at birth and experienced hyper-insulinemic hypoglycemia, which improved following diazoxide therapy. We initially suspected androgen-producing ACC with metastasis and the left adrenal mass was resected accordingly when the patient reached 4 months of age. However, histological examination revealed adrenal cytomegaly. Genetic analysis revealed paternal uniparental disomy, and the patient was finally diagnosed as having BWS. Resection of the left adrenal gland restored the serum androgen levels to normal physiological levels without any recurrence. While it is reasonably well known that BWS is sometimes accompanied by virilization due to androgen-producing ACC, our findings are among the first to suggest that adrenal cytomegaly can also increase androgen hormone production. Thus, we propose that adrenal cytomegaly should be considered one of the differential diagnoses when accompanied with hyperandrogenism in BWS patients.

Pathological and Genetic Stratification for Management of Adrenocortical Carcinoma

CONTEXT

Adrenocortical carcinoma (ACC) is a rare endocrine malignancy that affects patients across the age spectrum. Although the overall survival in patients with ACC is poor, there is significant heterogeneity in terms of outcomes, presentation, and underlying genetic drivers.

EVIDENCE ACQUISITION

This review is based on the evidence collected from primary research studies, expert reviews, and published guidelines. The studies were identified through PubMed search with key words "adrenocortical carcinoma," "prognosis," "pathology," and "genetics." The PubMed search was complemented by authors' expertise, research, and clinical experience in the field of ACC.

EVIDENCE SYNTHESIS

Identification of biomarkers has been critical to gain better insight into tumor behavior and to guide therapeutic approach to patients. Tumor stage, resection status, and Ki67 are pathological tumor characteristics that have been identified as prognosticators in patients with ACC. Cortisol excess also correlates with worse prognosis. Clinical and histopathological characteristics help stratify patient outcomes, yet still up to 25% of patients have a different outcome than predicted. To bridge this gap, comprehensive genomic profiling studies have characterized additional profiles that correlate with clinical outcomes. In addition, studies of clinically applicable molecular markers are under way to further stratify outcomes in patients with ACC tumors.

CONCLUSIONS

Clinical predictors in combination with pathological markers play a critical role in the approach to patients with ACC. Recent advances in genetic prognosticators will help extend the stratification of these tumors and contribute to a personalized therapeutic approach to patients with ACC.

Pediatric adrenocortical carcinoma

Adrenocortical carcinoma (ACC) is a rare endocrine malignancy of the adrenal gland with an unfavorable prognosis. It is rare in the pediatric population, with an incidence of 0.2-0.3 patients per million in patients under 20 years old. It is primarily associated with Li-Fraumeni and Beckwith-Wiedemann tumor predisposition syndromes in children. The incidence of pediatric ACC is 10-15fold higher in southern Brazil due to a higher prevalence of TP53 mutation associated with Li-Fraumeni syndrome in that population. Current treatment protocols are derived from adult ACC and consist of surgery and/or chemotherapy with etoposide, doxorubicin, and cisplatin (EDP) with mitotane. Limited research has been reported on other treatment modalities for pediatric ACC, including mitotane, pembrolizumab, cabozantinib, and chimeric antigen receptor autologous cell (CAR-T) therapy.

Lateralized and Segmental Overgrowth in Children

Congenital disorders of lateralized or segmental overgrowth (LO) are heterogeneous conditions with increased tissue growth in a body region. LO can affect every region, be localized or extensive, involve one or several embryonic tissues, showing variable severity, from mild forms with minor body asymmetry to severe ones with progressive tissue growth and related relevant complications. Recently, next-generation sequencing approaches have increased the knowledge on the molecular defects in LO, allowing classifying them based on the deranged cellular signaling pathway. LO is caused by either genetic or epigenetic somatic anomalies affecting cell proliferation. Most LOs are classifiable in the Beckwith-Wiedemann spectrum (BWSp), PI3KCA/AKT-related overgrowth spectrum (PROS/AROS), mosaic RASopathies, PTEN Hamartoma Tumor Syndrome, mosaic activating variants in angiogenesis pathways, and isolated LO (ILO). These disorders overlap over common phenotypes, making their appraisal and distinction challenging. The latter is crucial, as specific management strategies are key: some LO is associated with increased cancer risk making imperative tumor screening since childhood. Interestingly, some LO shares molecular mechanisms with cancer: recent advances in tumor biological pathway druggability and growth downregulation offer new avenues for the treatment of the most severe and complicated LO.

Approach to the Patient With Adrenal Incidentaloma

Adrenal tumors are commonly discovered incidentally on cross-sectional abdominal imaging performed for reasons other than adrenal mass. Incidence of adrenal tumors increased 10-fold in the past 2 decades, with most diagnosed in older adults. In any patient with a newly discovered adrenal mass, determining whether the adrenal mass is malignant and whether it is hormonally active is equally important to guide the best management. Malignancy is diagnosed in 5% to 8% of patients with adrenal tumors, with a higher risk in young patients, if history of extra-adrenal malignancy, in those with large adrenal tumors with indeterminate imaging characteristics, and in bilateral adrenal tumors. Although overt hormone excess is uncommon in adrenal incidentalomas, mild autonomous cortisol secretion can be diagnosed in up to 30% to 50% of patients. Because autonomous cortisol secretion is associated with increased cardiovascular morbidity and metabolic abnormalities, all patients with adrenal incidentalomas require work up with dexamethasone suppression test. Management of adrenal tumors varies based on etiology, associated comorbidities, and patient's preference. This article reviews the current evidence on the diagnosis and evaluation of patients with adrenal mass and focuses on management of the most common etiologies of adrenal incidentalomas.

Prenatal Assessment of Atypical Adrenal Glands: A Systematic Approach for Diagnosis

The aim of this study was to identify specific unusual prenatal ultrasound (US) patterns of the adrenal gland and to propose a systematic approach for diagnosis. Six fetuses with unusual aspects of one or both adrenal glands, detected during routine prenatal US screening, were evaluated. Prenatal and postnatal management are described. A checklist of US features was created to perform a detailed analysis of adrenal lesions and guide prenatal management; this includes the time of appearance, location, growth, vascularization, structure, and presence of findings suggestive of malignancy.

Pediatric Cushing syndrome: An early sign of an underling cancer predisposition syndrome

Beckwith-Wiedemann syndrome (BWS) is a genetic overgrowth and cancer predisposition syndrome that can be associated with a spectrum of clinical features including isolated lateralized overgrowth, macrosomia, macroglossia, organomegaly, omphalocele/umbilical hernia, and distinct facial features. Because of a range of clinical presentations and molecular defects involving Chromosome 11p15, many cases will fall within what is now being defined as the Beckwith-Wiedemann spectrum (BWSp). Cushing syndrome (CS) in infants is a rare neuroendocrinological disease associated with hypercortisolism that has rarely been reported in patients with BWS. Here, we describe the first case of a 5-month-old male with CS secondary to paternal uniparental disomy of Chromosome 11p without additional clinical signs or symptoms of BWS. This case continues to expand the phenotypic spectrum of BWSp.

Adrenocortical Tumors in Children With Constitutive Chromosome 11p15 Paternal Uniparental Disomy: Implications for Diagnosis and Treatment

Pediatric adrenocortical tumors (ACTs) are rare and heterogeneous. Approximately 50% of children with ACT carry a germline TP53 variant; however, the genetic underpinning of remaining cases has not been elucidated. In patients having germline TP53 variants, loss of maternal chromosome 11 and duplication of the paternal copy [paternal uniparental disomy, (UPD)] occurs early in tumorigenesis and explains the overexpression of IGF2, the hallmark of pediatric ACT. Beckwith-Wiedemann syndrome (BWS) is also associated with overexpression of IGF2 due to disruption of the 11p15 loci, including segmental UPD. Here, we report six children with ACT with wild type TP53 and germline paternal 11p15 UPD. Median age of five girls and one boy was 3.2 years (range 0.5-11 years). Two patients met the criteria for BWS before diagnosis of ACT. However, ACT was the first and only manifestation of paternal 11p15 UPD in four children. Tumor weight ranged from 21.5 g to 550 g. Despite poor prognostic features at presentation, such as pulmonary metastasis, bilateral adrenal involvement, and large tumors, all patients are alive 8-21 years after cancer diagnosis. Our observations suggest that children with ACT and wild type TP53, irrespective of their age, should be screened for germline abnormalities in chromosome 11p15.

Medical Approaches in Adrenocortical Carcinoma

Adrenocortical carcinoma (ACC) represents one of the most aggressive endocrine tumors. In spite of a correct therapeutic strategy based on a multidisciplinary approach between endocrinologist, surgeon and oncologist, the prognosis is often poor. Surgery is the mainstay treatment in ACC. Mitotane, a dichloro-diphenyl-trichloro-ethane derivate, represents the main medical treatment of ACC in consideration of its adrenocytolitic activity and it is mainly employed as adjuvant treatment after complete surgical resection and for the treatment of advanced ACC. However, the use of mitotane as adjuvant therapy is still controversial, also in consideration of the retrospective nature of several studies. The recurrence of disease is frequent, especially in advanced disease at the diagnosis. Therefore, in these contexts, conventional chemotherapy must be considered in association with mitotane, being the combination etoposide, doxorubicin and cisplatin (EDP) the standard of care in this setting. A more modern therapeutic approach, based on the need of a salvage therapy for advanced ACC that progresses through first-line EDP, is focused on molecular-targeted therapies. However, robust clinical trials are necessary to assess the real efficacy of these treatments.

Imaging features of adrenal gland masses in the pediatric population

The spectrum of adrenal masses in the pediatric population markedly differs from that in the adult population. Imaging plays a crucial role in detecting adrenal masses, differentiating malignant from benign lesions, recognizing extra-adrenal lesions in the suprarenal fossa, and directing further management. Ultrasound is the primary imaging modality of choice for the evaluation of adrenal masses in the neonatal period, whereas MRI or CT is used as a problem-solving tool. In older children, computed tomography or magnetic resonance imaging is often required after initial sonographic evaluation for further characterization of a lesion. Herein, we discuss the salient imaging features along with pathophysiology and clinical features of pediatric adrenal masses.

Cushing syndrome: Old and new genes

Cushing syndrome (CS) describes the signs and symptoms caused by exogenous or endogenous hypercortisolemia. Endogenous CS is caused by either ACTH-dependent sources (pituitary or ectopic) or ACTH-independent (adrenal) hypercortisolemia. Several genes are currently known to contribute to the pathogenesis of CS. Germline gene defects, such as MEN1, AIP, PRKAR1A and others, often present in patients with pituitary or adrenal involvement as part of a genetic syndrome. Somatic defects in genes, such as USP8, TP53, and others, are also involved in the development of pituitary or adrenal tumors in a large percentage of patients with CS, and give insight in pathways involved in pituitary or adrenal tumorigenesis.

Adrenocortical adenoma in a Sudanese girl with Beckwith-Wiedemann syndrome

Background

We report a case of right adrenocortical adenoma in a girl with features suggestive of Beckwith Wiedemann syndrome to show the importance of tumor surveillance in patients with Beckwith Wiedemann syndrome.

Case presentation

A 4-years-old female with features suggestive of Beckwith-Wiedemann syndrome presented with 9 months history of virilization. Hormonal investigations results showed high levels of testosterone (2.3 ng/ml, normal values 0.1-0.4 ng/ml), and DHEAS (73 ng/ml normal values 1-6 ng/ml) with normal cortisol level. Computed tomography revealed a right adrenal mass. She underwent right adrenalectomy. Histopathological examination of the resected adrenal gland showed adrenocortical adenoma. Her postoperative evaluation showed a normal testosterone level.

Conclusion

Adrenocortical neoplasms though rare in children are well documented in Beckwith-Wiedemann syndrome patients. So tumor surveillance protocol should be employed, even in a resource-limited setting for early tumor detection and a better outcome.

Beckwith-Wiedemann syndrome in diverse populations

Beckwith-Wiedemann syndrome (BWS) is the most common epigenetic overgrowth disorder and presents with patients affected by a variety of clinical features. Although genotype-phenotype correlations have been demonstrated in BWS and although BWS has been reported to occur equally among racial and ethnic backgrounds, no study to date has evaluated the frequency of findings in different backgrounds. In this study, we evaluated the incidence of clinical features and molecular diagnoses among patients with BWS in Caucasian, Mixed, and non-Caucasian groups. These results suggest that clinical features and molecular diagnoses differ between race/ethnicity groups and raise the possibility of race and ethnicity effects on genotype-phenotype correlations in BWS.

Surgical Outcomes of Patients with Beckwith-Wiedemann Syndrome

PURPOSE

The purpose of this study was to evaluate treatment and surgical outcomes of patients of Beckwith-Wiedemann Syndrome (BWS) treated at a tertiary children's hospital.

METHODS

A retrospective review of infants evaluated at Texas Children's Hospital for BWS from August 2000 to December 2016 was performed. Data collected included demographic information, clinical presentation, genetic evaluation, fetal imaging, operative treatment, and outcomes.

RESULTS

Forty-seven children with a diagnosis of BWS were identified. Sixty-four percent (n=30) had a genetic mutation in an imprinting domain of chromosome 11p15. Thirty-two patients (68%) underwent at least one operation related to BWS with a median of 2 [range: 0-8] surgical procedures per patient. Sixteen underwent omphalocele repair, 12 had partial glossectomies-, 7 underwent surgeries related to hemihypertrophy, and 6 had resection of an embryonal tumor (two adrenal cortical adenoma, one Wilms' tumor, two hepatoblastoma). Overall, survival was 100% with feeding difficulty (47%) being the most frequent complication.

CONCLUSION

A substantial number of patients with Beckwith-Wiedemann Syndrome will require surgery. However, overall outcomes are similar between those that require surgery and those that do not.

LEVEL OF EVIDENCE

Level III.

Neonatal Cushing Syndrome: A Rare but Potentially Devastating Disease

Neonatal Cushing syndrome (CS) is most commonly caused by exogenous administration of glucocorticoids and rarely by endogenous hypercortisolemia. CS owing to adrenal lesions is the most common cause of endogenous CS in neonates and infants, and adrenocortical tumors (ACTs) represent most cases. Many ACTs develop in the context of a TP53 gene mutation, which causes Li-Fraumeni syndrome. More rarely, neonatal CS presents as part of other syndromes such as McCune-Albright syndrome or Beckwith-Wiedemann syndrome. Management usually includes resection of the primary tumor with or without additional medical treatment, but manifestations may persist after resolution of hypercortisolemia.