Adrenal cortical carcinoma. A study of 32 patients.

Fifteen males and 17 females with adrenal cortical carcinoma were reviewed. Their average age at diagnosis was 50.33 years plus or minus 12.26 SD for males and 39.76 years plus or minus 12.02 SD for females. The 5-year survival rate in this series was 31.25%. Abdominal pain, weakness, and weight loss were the primary presenting symptoms, whereas abdominal mass, distant lymphadenopathy, hepatomegaly, and edema of the lower extremities were the main presenting signs. The major sites of distant metastatic involvement were the lungs, liver, lymph nodes, and bones. The best available mode of therapy was surgery. The use of ortho para 'DDD (o,p'DDD), either in addition to surgery or as the only mode of therapy, was not associated with any significant advantage to the patient. Female patients had a longer survival than males, probably because of their younger age at diagnosis.