Clinical and pathological analysis of 116 cases of adult adrenal cortical adenoma and literature review

Abstract

Ai-Hua Jia,1 Hong-Quan Du,2 Min-Hua Fan,2 Yu-Hong Li,1 Jun-Long Xu,1 Gui-Fen Niu,2 Jie Bai,2 Guang-Zhen Zhang,2 Yu-Bo Ren1 1Department of Pathology, Liaocheng People’s Hospital, Liaocheng, People’s Republic of China; 2Department of Endocrinology, Liaocheng People’s Hospital, Liaocheng, People’s Republic of China Background: The aim of this study is to investigate origin, gross features, microscopic features, immunohistochemical properties, and differential diagnosis of adrenal cortical adenoma (ACA) in patients ≥20 years old.Methods: The clinicopathological features of 116 cases of ACA and the immunohistochemical features of 50 cases of ACA were evaluated, and the relevant literature was reviewed.Results: In our cohort, 76.72% (89/116) of the cases were functional, and 27 cases had non-functional, benign adrenal adenomas. ACA presented as an island tumor with an envelope, and the mean tumor size was 3.6 cm (range 1–5 cm), with a mean tumor weight of 9.28 g (range 5–113 g). The shape of the tumor cells was consistent, and mitosis was rarely observed. Forty of the 46 patients with cortisol-secreting ACA had tumors containing granule cells. Primary aldosteronism was observed in 43 cases. Thirty-eight cases had endoscopically visible tumors, with clear cells and lipid-rich cytoplasm arranged in irregular patches or strips. Cortisol-producing ACAs were associated with atrophy of the non-tumorous cortex. Adrenocortical adenomas displayed positive immunohistochemical staining for MELAN-A, Syn (46 of 50 cases of ACA), NSE (44 of 50 cases of ACA), Vim (42 of 50 cases of ACA) and Ki-67 <5% (24 of 50 cases of ACA; the remaining 26 cases were negative for Ki-67).Conclusion: Prediction of endocrine syndrome in functional ACA was possible based on its structure and morphologic features, which could prevent an unanticipated postoperative crisis. However, a clinical study is needed to validate these findings. Keywords: adrenal cortical adenoma, pathological features, immunohistochemical staining, pathological analysis