Introduction: Adrenocortical carcinoma (ACC) is an extremely rare and aggressive tumor, and its clinical characteristics are poorly defined because of its rarity.
Case presentation: We report a 64-year-old man who presented with upper abdominal pain and weight loss. Computed tomography revealed a 15 cm left adrenal tumor compressing the pancreas ventrally and a tumor thrombus in the inferior vena cava (IVC) originating from the left renal vein. Positron emission tomography-computed tomography revealed 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose uptake only in the tumor and tumor thrombus, and radical surgery was planned. Intraoperatively, the tumor was visible on the posterior stomach wall, and the tumor adhered to the pancreas and left kidney. We excised the tumor with part of the pancreas and the left kidney and excised the thrombus from the IVC after clamping. The final diagnosis was ACC, tumor-node-metastasis grade T3N1M0, stage III. The patient received chemotherapy and radiotherapy postoperatively; however, two liver metastases appeared 6 months after surgery. Chemotherapy was continued, and no exacerbation of the liver metastases was observed. Posterior segment resection of the liver was performed 16 months after the initial surgery.
Conclusion: This report of a rare case of ACC involving the pancreas with tumor thrombus extension to the IVC stresses that this combination of conditions does not preclude radical surgery. However, more data are needed regarding chemotherapy and radiotherapy, as well as relapse treatment, and further research on ACC is essential for a favorable prognosis.
Keywords: Adjuvant therapy; Adrenocortical carcinoma; Case report; Inferior vena cava; Radiotherapy; Tumor thrombus.
© 2024 The Author(s). Published by S. Karger AG, Basel.