A CASE OF NONHORMONAL CARCINOMA OF THE ADRENAL CORTEX ASSOCIATED WITH LUNG ADENOCARCINOMA

Abstract

We encountered an extremely rare case of bilateral nonhormonal carcinoma of the adrenal cortex, still moreassociated with lung adenocarcinoma.
A 45-year-old man complaining of left hypochondrial-back pain was referred to our hospital under a suspicion of bilateral carcinoma of the adrenal cortex, because CT of the abdomen revealed tumor shadows measured about 7cm in diameter at the left retroperitoneum and about 3cm at the right lower part of the liver. Hormonal examination of the tumors resulted in negative and no uptake into the adrenal gland was observed in adrenal scintigram due to¹³¹I-aldosterol. MRI of the abdomen performed about one month after CT scanning revealed that left and right tumors enlarged to about 9cm and 5cm respectively. Thus he was diagnosed to have bilateral nonhormonal carcinomas of the adrenal cortex and operated on. In laparotomy the tumors were found to invadelarge vessels directly and the extirpation was impossible. He died on day 90 after surgery. Autopsy showed a complicated primary lung adenocarcinoma.