ADRENOCORTICAL TUMORS .1. PROGNOSIS EVALU ATION USING WEISS CRITERIA

Weiss proposed 9 histologic criteria to evaluate the malignancy of adr enal cortical tumors. Each tumor is graded from 0 to 9 according to ho w many of the criteria are present. Eight of the 17 neoplasms from the present study were graded from 0 to 2; none of these 8 tumors metasta sized or recurred. The grade of the nine other neoplasms ranged from 3 to 8; seven lesions metastasized (grade 4 to 8), one recurred (grade 5), and the last one neither metastasized nor recurred (grade 3) altho ugh this tumor was considered malignant according to Weiss' system. Ev en thought the results obtained using Weiss' system are similar to the results that were put forwards initially, and despite prognostic unce rtainty with grade 3 tumors, we think that the later system provides a more objective evaluation of the prognosis of adrenal cortical tumors , compared with usual morphologic methods.