Outcome of surgical resection and chemotherapy versus chemotherapy alone for the treatment of isolated primary adrenal lymphoma: a retrospective cohort study of 16 consecutive patients

Background/aim: Primary adrenal lymphoma (PAL) is rare and aggressive. The aim of this retrospective study was to compare the results of surgery and chemotherapy compared to chemotherapy alone for the treatment of this condition. Patients and methods: Sixteen patients, 10 men and 6 women of a median age of 63 years (IQR=56-70.5 years), admitted for the treatment of PAL, were retrospectively reviewed. Six patients (37.5%) underwent surgical resection of the mass followed by CHOP (cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, vincristine, bleomycin and prednisone) - based chemotherapy (Group A). Ten patients (62.5%) underwent chemotherapy alone, consisting of CHOP alone in one case and Rituximab-CHOP (R-CHOP) in 9 cases (Group B). As primary study endpoints of the study, overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS) were considered. Results: At two years follow-up, OS was 50% in Group A and 60% in group B (p=0.69). The PFS was 50% in group A and 30% in group B (p=0.42). Conclusion: PAL exhibits overall a dismal prognosis. Chemotherapy remains the most appropriate treatment, although unable to ensure long-term survival. Surgery combined with chemotherapy is ineffective in improving survival and may, at best, have a limited role in relieving the pain related to the local mass effect.