ABSTRACT
Objective To discuss the diagnosis and management of adrenal cortical carcinoma. Methods 12 cases of adrenal cortical carcinoma were evaluated with regard to clinical,pathologic characteristics and prognosis.Of the 12 patients,6 were male and 6 were female with an average age of 37.The tumor was functional in 4 and nonfunctional in 8.The tumor was on the right side in 10 and on the left in 2.The diameter of the tumor was 3～30 cm.3 cases were Sullivan stage Ⅰ,3 stage Ⅱ,2 stage Ⅲ and 4 stage Ⅳ. Results Tolal ablation of the tumor has been conducted in 11 and biopsy only in 1.Estrogen receptor expression was positive in 5 out of 7 as deteted by immunohistochemistry assay.Five patient died within 1.5 years after operation whereas the other 7 are still surviving including 5 administered with tamoxifen. Conclusions Adrenal cortical carcinoma may be an estrogen-dependant tumor,so tamoxifen is an effective adjuvant drug in the treatment.Tumor size and stage appear to be strongly correlated with prognosis,larger size and higher stage are associated with a poor prognosis.