Adrenocortical carcinoma - towards genomics guided clinical care

Nat Rev Endocrinol. 2019 Sep;15(9):548-560. doi: 10.1038/s41574-019-0221-7.

Abstract

Adrenocortical carcinoma (ACC) is an aggressive and rare neoplasm that originates in the cortex of the adrenal gland. The disease is associated with heterogeneous but mostly poor outcomes and lacks effective pharmaceutical treatment options. Multi-omics studies have defined the landscape of molecular alterations in ACC. Specific molecular signatures can be detected in body fluids, potentially enabling improved diagnostic applications for patients with adrenal tumours. Importantly, pan-molecular data sets further reveal a spectrum within ACC, with three major subgroups that have different disease outcomes. These new subgroups have value as prognostic biomarkers. Research has revealed that the p53-RB and the WNT-β-catenin pathways are common disease drivers in ACC. However, these pathways remain difficult to target by therapeutic interventions. Instead, a unique characteristic of ACC is steroidogenic differentiation, which has emerged as a potential treatment target, with several agents undergoing preclinical or clinical investigations. Finally, a large proportion of ACC tumours have genetic profiles that are associated with promising therapeutic responsiveness in other cancers. All these opportunities now await translation from the laboratory into the clinical setting, thereby offering a real potential of improved survival outcomes and increased quality of life for patients with this serious condition.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
  • Review

MeSH terms

  • Adrenal Cortex Neoplasms / diagnosis
  • Adrenal Cortex Neoplasms / genetics*
  • Adrenal Cortex Neoplasms / therapy*
  • Adrenocortical Carcinoma / diagnosis
  • Adrenocortical Carcinoma / genetics*
  • Adrenocortical Carcinoma / therapy*
  • Antibodies, Monoclonal / therapeutic use
  • Biomarkers, Tumor / genetics
  • Clinical Trials as Topic / methods
  • Genetic Therapy / methods
  • Genomics / methods*
  • Humans

Substances

  • Antibodies, Monoclonal
  • Biomarkers, Tumor