Long-term follow-up of patients undergoing laparoscopic surgery for phaeochromocytoma

O'Dwyer, P. J., Chew, C., Zino, S. and Serpell, M. G. (2022) Long-term follow-up of patients undergoing laparoscopic surgery for phaeochromocytoma. BJS Open, 6(3), zrac076. (doi: 10.1093/bjsopen/zrac076) (PMID:35754193) (PMCID:PMC9234194)

Abstract

Introduction: Phaeochromocytomas are rare tumours with a recurrence after open surgery ranging between 6–23 per cent. Long-term follow-up studies after laparoscopic surgery for phaeochromocytoma are lacking. The aim of this study was to look at the long-term oncological outcome of a consecutive series of patients from a single centre undergoing laparoscopic surgery for a phaeochromocytoma. Methods: Demographic data on all patients with an adrenal tumour or paraganglioma were prospectively kept on a database between September 1999 and December 2017. Electronic hospital records, including imaging from a national linked archiving and communication system, were reviewed for patients with a phaeochromocytoma in November 2021. Results: During the study interval 135 patients with a phaeochromocytoma were operated on in the unit, of which 118 (87.4 per cent) were attempted laparoscopically. Five (4.2 per cent) were converted to open surgery, whereas 117 had a potentially curative operation. There was no peri- or postoperative mortality. At a median follow-up of 10 (interquartile range 6–12.9) years, only 3 (2.6 per cent) patients died from metastatic phaeochromocytoma. One further patient developed lymph node metastases, which were removed at open surgery. No patient had a local recurrence and the only significant predictor of recurrence was the presence of lymph node metastases (P < 0.001). Two patients developed a contralateral adrenal phaeochromocytoma, while one of these also had a paraganglioma. The Kaplan–Meier estimate of phaeochromocytoma-free survival was 96 per cent (95 per cent c.i. 92.2 to 98.8) at 5 years and 92 per cent (95 per cent c.i. 86.7 to 97.3) at 10 years. Conclusion: This study demonstrates that long-term oncological outcomes of laparoscopic surgery for patients with a phaeochromocytoma are at least as good as that with an open operation.

• Item Type: Articles
• Status: Published
• Refereed: Yes
• Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID: O'Dwyer, Professor Patrick and Chew, Cindy and Serpell, Dr Michael
• Authors: O'Dwyer, P. J., Chew, C., Zino, S., and Serpell, M. G.
• College/School: College of Medical Veterinary and Life Sciences > School of Medicine, Dentistry & Nursing
• Journal Name: BJS Open
• Publisher: Oxford University Press
• ISSN: 2474-9842
• ISSN (Online): 2474-9842
• Published Online: 27 June 2022
• Copyright Holders: Copyright © 2022 The Authors
• First Published: First published in BJS Open 6(3): zrac076
• Publisher Policy: Reproduced under a Creative Commons License