[Adrenal carcinoma: 7 year disease free survival after complete primary tumor resection and repeated resection of local-regional and distant recurrences. Review after one case with poor initial life expectancy].
OBJECTIVES: We report the case of a female patient with adrenal carcinoma who had undergone surgery and presented with local-regional and distant recurrences, emphasizing the importance of the aggressive surgical treatment to achieve long-term survival which is unexpected sometimes. Currently, it represents the gold standard and all cases should be reported to stimulate other groups to work in this line. METHODS/RESULTS: We report the case of a 29-year-old female patient who consulted for left flank pain, being diagnosed of an adrenal tumor by radiological tests; she underwent surgical excision of a left adrenal carcinoma (stage II). Later on she presented with local-regional recurrences (2 times) and distant metastases (liver) undergoing excision in three procedures. Currently, the patient is alive and free of disease 7 years after diagnosis. CONCLUSIONS: Adrenal cancer recurrences have been considered lethal in the short-term. Nevertheless, an aggressive surgical approach of local recurrences and metastasic disease may significantly prolong patient's survival and, sometimes, leave the patient disease free several years after the diagnosis of the primary tumor.