Tetsuro Shiraishi

Bilateral adrenal metastases of endometrial cancer with adrenal insufficiency

AbstractAdrenal metastasis from endometrial cancer is extremely rare and has a poor prognosis, especially for bilateral adrenal metastases. It is usually asymptomatic without any adrenal hormonal abnormalities. A 50‐year‐old postmenopausal woman presented with acute right‐sided back pain and history of occasional abnormal uterine bleeding. She was diagnosed with endometrial cancer with ruptured bilateral adrenal metastases. She underwent total hysterectomy and bilateral salpingo‐oophorectomy, and the pathological findings revealed dedifferentiated carcinoma. After three courses of adjuvant chemotherapy, the bilateral adrenal metastases had increased in size, with worsening back pain and adrenal hormone insufficiency. The patient died 6 months after the identification of adrenal tumors. Acute back pain may lead to the identification of a ruptured adrenal metastasis. The possibility of gradual adrenal insufficiency should be considered in bilateral adrenal metastases. Although the prognosis is poor, tumor debulking surgery followed by adjuvant chemotherapy could be suggested to improve the prognosis.