Prenatally detected tumor mass in the adrenal gland

Lin, Jer-Nan; Lin, Ghi-Jen; Hung, Iou-Jih; Hsueh, Chun

« Previous Next »Journal of Pediatric Surgery
Volume 34, Issue 11 , Pages 1620-1623, November 1999

Prenatally detected tumor mass in the adrenal gland☆

Jer-Nan Lin
- Address reprint requests to Jer-Nan Lin, MD, Department of Pediatric Surgery, Chang Gung Children's Hospital, 5, Fu-Hsing St, Kweishan Hsiang, Taoyuan, Taiwan33332.
- Department of Pediatric Surgery, Chang Gung Children's Hospital, Taoyuan, Taiwan.
- Department of Pediatrics, Chang Gung Children's Hospital, Taoyuan, Taiwan.
- Department of Pathology, Chang Gung Children's Hospital, Taoyuan, Taiwan.
- College of Medicine, Chang Gung University, Taoyuan, Taiwan.
Ghi-Jen Lin
- Department of Pediatric Surgery, Chang Gung Children's Hospital, Taoyuan, Taiwan.
- Department of Pediatrics, Chang Gung Children's Hospital, Taoyuan, Taiwan.
- Department of Pathology, Chang Gung Children's Hospital, Taoyuan, Taiwan.
- College of Medicine, Chang Gung University, Taoyuan, Taiwan.
Iou-Jih Hung
- Department of Pediatric Surgery, Chang Gung Children's Hospital, Taoyuan, Taiwan.
- Department of Pediatrics, Chang Gung Children's Hospital, Taoyuan, Taiwan.
- Department of Pathology, Chang Gung Children's Hospital, Taoyuan, Taiwan.
- College of Medicine, Chang Gung University, Taoyuan, Taiwan.
Chun Hsueh
- Department of Pediatric Surgery, Chang Gung Children's Hospital, Taoyuan, Taiwan.
- Department of Pediatrics, Chang Gung Children's Hospital, Taoyuan, Taiwan.
- Department of Pathology, Chang Gung Children's Hospital, Taoyuan, Taiwan.
- College of Medicine, Chang Gung University, Taoyuan, Taiwan.

Abstract

Background/Purpose: Screening programs using urinary vanillylmandelic acid have detected neuroblastomas in early infancy with some success. With the widespread use of ultrasonography in modern obstetric practice, use of ultrasonography to screen for fetal neuroblastoma seems to be reasonable and practical.

Methods: Seven fetuses had suprarenal masses detected by maternal ultrasound scan at 32 to 37 weeks' gestation between 1993 and 1998. They were delivered normally if the pregnancy was uncomplicated, especially if it was without maternal preeclampsia or fetal hydrops. Each mass was further confirmed by ultrasound scan, computed tomography, or magnetic resonance imaging in the neonatal period. Tumor excision was performed at the age of 6 to 38 days of life.

Results: The size of the masses measured ranged from 2.0 × 2.0 cm to 4.5 × 4.5 cm. The diagnosis was adrenal hemorrhage in 1 neonate, Evan's stage I neuroblastoma in 3, and stage IV-S neuroblastoma in 3. All of the specimens with a diagnosis of neuroblastoma showed a favorable histology by the Shimada classification system. Infants with stage I disease were treated with tumor excision only, and they had survived without disease by 14, 18, and 25 months of follow-up. One infant with stage IV-S neuroblastoma was treated further with minimal chemotherapy and has survived without disease at the 66-month follow-up examination. Another child with stage IV-S neuroblastoma has survived with local recurrence and increasing liver metastasis and was still on chemotherapy at the 2-month follow-up examination. The third child with stage IV-S disease presented with massive hepatomegaly and bone marrow involvement, and disseminated intravascular coagulopathy had developed. The patient died on the 5th day of life without surgical intervention.

Conclusions: The increasing use of obstetric ultrasonography has made the prenatal screening of neuroblastomas possible. The prognosis of infants with a suprarenal mass may be improved with this early detection and early surgical intervention.

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