Primary adrenal sarcomatoid carcinoma metastatic to the lung: Case report and review of the literature

Abstract

Abstract. Adrenal sarcomatoid carcinoma is a rare adrenal carcinoma. To the best of our knowledge, only 11 cases have been reported since 1987. Adrenal sarcomatoid carcinoma presents a diagnostic challenge due to its atypical symptoms and histological patterns. At the time of diagnosis, a large percentage of patients are already at the metastatic stage and succumb within a few months. The present study reports a case of a 59-year-old man presenting with asthenia and weight loss with adrenal sarcomatoid carcinoma metastatic to the lung. A computed tomography (CT) scan and ultrasonography of the patient's abdomen suggested a large homogeneous mass in the right adrenal gland, and a CT scan of his chest suggested lung metastasis. Right adrenalectomy was performed. Histological examination revealed that the tumor was composed of sarcomatous and carcinomatous differentiation elements. Immunohistochemical examination revealed tumor cell positivity for vimentin and cytokeratin. At the 6-month follow-up the patient exhibited no disease progression and refused further proposed treatment. The patient was alive at the time of writing the current report. The present case report additionally reviews the literature, for the purpose of raising awareness of these rare lesions and assisting in achieving accurate diagnoses and effective treatment.

Sarcomatoid carcinoma of adrenal gland: a rare case report

“…Dynamic enhanced multidetector row CT scans may reveal tumor composition and blood supply. 3 Histopathology and immunohistochemistry must be performed to confirm a diagnosis. Surgical excision, including complete metastatic resection, is currently the most effective treatment, while post-operative adjuvant chemotherapy may decrease relapse and metastasis rates.…”

“…2 The majority of reported patients succumbed to disease within a year, due to local recurrence or de novo metastases. 3 Timely and accurate diagnosis and effective treatments are therefore required. The present study reports a case of primary adrenal sarcomatoid carcinoma with endocrine hypersecretion.…”

A Case Report of Bilateral Adrenal Sarcomatoid Carcinoma

“…Three of the reported cases were metastatic to liver [11], inferior vena cava [12], and lung [13]. One patient had bilateral adrenal sarcomatoid carcinoma [4].…”

“…Twelve of the cases died within 2 days to 30 months after the diagnosis [13]. Our case was a middle-aged woman and died 2 months after diagnosis.…”

Primary sarcomatoid urothelial carcinoma of the ureter: a case report and review of the literature

“…And only 24 cases of the ureteral sarcomatoid urothelial carcinoma have been reported in the PubMed database [ 3 ]. Then, 11 adrenal sarcomatoid carcinoma cases have been reported from 1987 to 2016 [ 4 ]. The present case revealed a primary sarcomatoid urothelial carcinoma, pathology features and clinical treatments.…”