Surgical treatment of lung cancer with synchronous adrenal metastases: Adrenalectomy first.

INTRODUCTION: The aim of this study is to present our patients with lung cancer and synchronous adrenal metastases treated with a reversal approach: starting with adrenalectomy and doing the lung resection second.

METHODS: A total of 108 laparoscopic adrenalectomies were performed, and we analyze a consecutive serie of 10 patients with isolated adrenal synchronous metastases from the lung, surgically treated in a sequential way. All patients underwent staging mediastinoscopy, and patients with positive lymph nodes were primary treated with chemotherapy. We analyze: postoperative morbidity, length of stay, time between the 2surgeries, suvival free progression and global survival. Survival analysis was performed by the Kaplan-Meier method.

RESULTS: Mean age: 56.8 (41-73) years old. Of the total, 8 patients were surgically performed by laparoscopy. Metastases average size: 5.9 (3-10) cm. Days between the 2surgeries were 28 (12-35) days. No morbidity after adrenalectomy. Length of stay was 4.3 (3-5) days. Disease-free survival at 2 years was 60%, the 5-year overall survival was 30%, with a median survival of 41.5 (0-98) months.

CONCLUSIONS: Adrenalectomy involves no significant morbidity and can be performed safely without delaying lung surgery, and allows us to operate the primary lung tumor successfully as long as we ensure complete resection of the adrenal gland. A multidisciplinary oncology committee must individualize all cases and consider this therapeutic approach in all patients with resectable primary tumor and resectable adrenal metastases.