Efficacy and Safety of Radiotherapy and Systemic Treatments in Adrenocortical Carcinoma: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

CONTEXT: Adrenocortical carcinoma (ACC) is a rare, aggressive malignancy with a high recurrence and mortality rate even after complete resection. Therefore, intensification of adjuvant therapies is crucial, although their effectiveness remains controversial.

OBJECTIVE

This study aimed to determine the efficacy and safety of available treatments by considering the prognostic factors affecting disease outcomes.

METHODS

The search was conducted across 3 databases (PubMed, Embase, and CENTRAL) in October 2024. Eligible studies compared overall survival (OS) and recurrence-free survival (RFS) in patients with ACC treated with and without systemic (mitotane, cytotoxic chemotherapy) or localized (radiotherapy) nonsurgical treatments. In total, 86 studies met the inclusion criteria for the systematic review, and 62 for the meta-analysis. Two reviewers extracted data independently. Adjusted hazard ratios (aHR) with 95% CI were calculated for survival outcomes.

RESULTS

Mitotane significantly improves OS (aHR: 0.54; CI: 0.41-0.70) and RFS (aHR: 0.60; CI: 0.43-0.84), even in stage I-III disease (OS aHR: 0.71; CI: 0.52-0.98; RFS aHR: 0.65; CI: 0.50-0.85). Radiotherapy showed a trend toward improved OS (aHR: 0.66; CI: 0.38-1.15) and RFS (aHR: 0.65; CI: 0.35-1.23), with significant benefits in stage I-III (OS aHR: 0.68; CI: 0.50-0.93; RFS aHR: 0.71; CI: 0.63-0.81). The impact of cytotoxic chemotherapy on OS remains uncertain (aHR: 0.61; CI: 0.08-4.78).

CONCLUSION

Mitotane significantly improves survival outcomes in patients with ACC, while radiotherapy exhibits potential benefits, particularly in localized disease. Further research is needed to verify the efficacy of cytotoxic chemotherapy, and randomized controlled trials are required to provide robust evidence of different treatment approaches.