Alternative approach in the treatment of adrenal metastasis with a real-time tracking radiotherapy in patients with hormone refractory prostate cancer

Abstract

Patients with an adrenal tumor usually undergo laparoscopic adrenalectomy.However, an alternative treatment approach might be needed in some patients with adrenal metastasis from malignancy or with severe complications. Real-time tracking radiotherapy (RTRT) with a gold marker is considered one of the feasible treatment options because this system can reduce the adverse effects of organ movement such as that in the adrenal gland or kidney. A 64-year-old patient with hormone refractory prostate cancer presented with clinically isolated adrenal metastasis. The patient underwent RTRT treatment with an implanted gold marker in the right adrenal metastasis. There were no adverse events. Although disease progression with elevatedprostate-specific antigen occurred 8 months later, there was no further growth of the right adrenal metastasis before he died. From our experience, RTRT with an implanted gold marker might be feasible for the treatment of isolated adrenal metastasis from malignancies including prostate cancer. © 2008 The Japanese Urological Association.