[EUROCRINE®: adrenal surgery 2015-2019- surprising initial results]

Outcomes after Surgical Treatment of Metastatic Disease in the Adrenal Gland; Valuable for the Patient?

Simple Summary

Adrenal glands are common dissemination sites for metastases of various solid tumors. The rapid development of new treatment strategies, such as targeted therapy and immunotherapy for different cancer types, has led to increased metastatic adrenalectomies. Therefore, clear communication between oncologists and adrenal gland specialists has become increasingly important to outweigh surgical risks versus oncological advantages of adrenalectomies in these patients. This study assesses trends in diagnosis, type of surgery, and short-term and long-term surgical outcomes of patients who underwent metastatic adrenalectomy. We included a total of 95 patients with an adrenal metastasis of non-adrenal primary tumors, most often colorectal or lung cancer, who underwent (minimal invasive) adrenalectomy. 37.9% of the patients experienced one or more complications after adrenalectomy. Within our patient cohort, an increased demand for metastatic adrenalectomy was observed over the past years, which might be associated with the rise of targeted- and immunotherapy. Our data aims to assist multidisciplinary teams with weighing the pros and cons of resection of the metastasized adrenal gland of cancer patients.

Abstract

The adrenal glands are common dissemination sites for metastasis of various solid tumors. Surgical treatment is often recommended because targeted therapies and immunotherapy are frequently ineffective for adrenal metastasis. We report the experience with short-term and long-term surgical outcomes of patients undergoing surgery for adrenal metastasis in two hospitals. A retrospective, multicenter study was performed to analyze patient characteristics, tumor-related data, perioperative outcomes, and oncological outcomes. Postoperative complications that occurred within 30 days were scored according to the Clavien Dindo classification. Metastatic adrenalectomy was performed in 95 patients. We observed an increase from an average of 3 metastatic adrenalectomies per year between 2001–2005 to 10 between 2015–2019. The most frequent underlying malignancies were colorectal and lung cancer. In 55.8%, minimal invasive adrenalectomy was performed, including six conversions to open surgery. A total of 37.9% of patients had postoperative complications, of which ileus or gastroparesis, wound problems, pneumonia, and heart arrhythmias were the most occurring complications. Improved cancer care has led to an increased demand for metastatic adrenalectomy over the past years. Complication rates of 37.9% are significant and cannot be neglected. Therefore, multidisciplinary teams should weigh the decision to perform metastatic adrenalectomy for each patient individually, taking into account the drawbacks of the described morbidity versus the potential benefits.

[Endocrine and neuroendocrine tumors]

Endokrine Tumoren und hier im Speziellen neuroendokrine Neoplasien des Gastrointestinaltraktes (GEP-NETs), Phäochromozytome (PCs), Paragangliome (PGL) und Schilddrüsentumoren sind Paradebeispiele für die Bedeutung von Molekularpathologie und Molekularbiologie für Diagnostik, Klassifikation und letztendlich auch die (chirurgische) Therapie dieser Erkrankungen. Bei GEP-NETs erfolgt das Grading anhand des Ki-67-Index. Dieser bestimmt die Art der molekularen Bildgebung (DOTA [1,4,7,10-Tetraazacyclododecan‑1,4,7,10-tetraessigsäure]/DOPA [3,4-Dihydroxyphenylalanin]/FDG[Fluordesoxyglukose]-PET[Positronenemissionstomographie]/CT [Computertomographie]), die mögliche Therapie (chirurgisch und/oder Radiopeptidtherapie), antiproliferative und symptomkontrollierende Therapie mit Somatostatinanaloga und letztendlich auch die Prognose. PC/PGL können hereditär auftreten (MEN2A [multiple endokrine Neoplasie Typ 2A], VHL [Von-Hippel-Lindau-Tumorsuppressor], NF1 [Neurofibromatose Typ 1], SDH[Succinat-Dehydrogenase]-Mutationen), was die chirurgische Therapie und die präoperative Medikation maßgeblich beeinflusst. Die molekulare Bildgebung hat einen hohen Stellenwert und kann bei grenzwertiger Biochemie wegweisend sein. Auch Nebennierenrindenkarzinome können genetisch determiniert sein. Bei Schilddrüsentumoren ist v. a. die Pathologie der C‑Zelle (C-Zell-Hyperplasie, medulläres Schilddrüsenkarzinom) hervorzuheben. Bei hereditärer Erkrankung (FMTC [familiäres medulläres Schilddrüsenkarzinom], MEN[multiple endokrine Neoplasie]2) ist häufig eine frühe prophylaktische Operation notwendig und verhindert das Auftreten von fortgeschrittenen Karzinomen. Aber auch die Bestimmung des Resektionsausmaßes bei follikulären Läsionen bzw. die Unterscheidung zwischen „non-invasive follicular thyroid neoplasm with papillary-like nuclear features“ (NIFTPs) und follikulären Varianten des papillären Schilddrüsenkarzinoms kann mithilfe spezifischer Marker erfolgen. Insgesamt hat die Molekularpathologie eine zunehmende Bedeutung bei diesen Entitäten und ist auch Inhalt laufender Forschungsprojekte.

Volume-outcome relationship for adrenalectomy: analysis of an administrative dataset for the Getting It Right First Time Programme

BACKGROUND

A minimum volume threshold of at least six procedures per annum per surgeon has been set in UK and European guidelines for adrenal surgery. The aim of this study was to investigate outcomes for adrenal surgery in England relative to annual surgeon and hospital trust volume.

METHODS

Data were extracted from the Hospital Episodes Statistics database for England. A 6-year period (January 2013 to December 2018 inclusive) for all adult admissions for unilateral adrenal surgery was used. The primary outcome measure was an emergency readmission within 30 days of discharge following surgery. Procedures were categorized as open or minimally invasive surgery for analysis. Multilevel modelling was used to adjust for hierarchy and potential confounders.

RESULTS

Data for 4189 adrenalectomies were identified. Only one third of surgeons (who operated on just over a half of all patients) performed at least six procedures in the year prior to the index procedure. For open surgery, emergency readmission rates fell significantly from 15.2 to 6.4 per cent for surgeons and from 13.2 to 6.1 per cent for trusts between the lowest- and highest-volume categories. Significant, but less dramatic falls were also seen for minimally invasive surgery.

CONCLUSION

A volume-outcome effect was identified for adrenal surgery in England. Minimum volume thresholds should be set, although these may need to be more ambitious than the current threshold if outcomes are to be optimized.