Do you need chemotherapy after surgery for adrenocortical carcinoma?

Usually, early stage adrenocortical carcinoma does not need chemotherapy after surgery, while patients with advanced stage or lymph node metastasis need adjuvant treatment by radiotherapy. Adrenocortical carcinoma (ACC) is a rare malignant tumor, with an annual incidence of (1-2) cases per million people.ACC is highly invasive, progresses rapidly and has a poor prognosis, and most of the patients are already locally invasive or have distant metastasis at the time of diagnosis. Surgery is the only means of cure, and postoperative adjuvant therapy should be selected according to the stage and grade of the tumor. Advanced ACC is mainly treated with comprehensive treatment, including palliative surgery, mitotane, chemotherapy, radiotherapy or combined treatment, etc. Postoperative treatment usually needs to be combined with other treatments (e.g. chemotherapy, mitotane, etc., single or combined treatment). Postoperative recurrence of adrenal cancer is relatively common, and timely detection of tumor recurrence and adjustment of follow-up treatment can help prolong the survival of patients. It is recommended that imaging tests (CT of the chest and CT or MRI of the abdomen) should be performed every 3 months, and serum cortisol levels should be tested jointly. After 2 years of postoperative follow-up, the interval between imaging studies can be gradually extended. If adrenocortical cancer is suspected or diagnosed, it is recommended to go to a regular hospital for comprehensive evaluation of the disease, follow the doctor’s instructions and choose the appropriate treatment plan to avoid delaying the disease.