Introduction: Several studies have reported improved survival after adrenalectomy in patients with adrenal metastases from lung cancer. In this study, we evaluated the clinical results of radiotherapy performed for local control in patients with this disease.
Materials and methods: We retrospectively reviewed 19 patients with adrenal metastasis from lung cancer, who were treated by radiation therapy between 1999 and 2008. The patients included 18 men and 1 woman, and had a mean age of 63 years. Adrenal metastasis was defined as synchronous and metachronous in 11 and 8 patients, respectively. All tumors were asymptomatic with a median size of 30 mm, and were treated with doses of 30 to 60 Gy (median, 45 Gy) in 1 to 27 fractions (median, 10 fractions).
Results: The estimated overall 1-, 2- and 5-year survival rates for all patients were 56%, 33%, and 22%, respectively. More favorable prognosis was observed for patients with a metachronous metastasis, with overall 1-, 2-, and 5- year survival rates following adrenal irradiation of 83%, 56%, and 56%, respectively.
Conclusion: Our results indicate that radiotherapy may contribute to survival of patients with adrenal metastasis from lung cancer. We suggest that radiotherapy is a treatment option that can be used in addition to surgical resection.