Adrenocortical carcinoma is a rare cancer with an incidence of 1.5 to 2 per million people in the United States. Surgery is the only potentially curative option. Current systemic therapy, either Mitotane or chemotherapy, typically gives response rates of 20% or less. This study is designed to see if the newer targeted therapy, Iressa, may be of benefit for patients with this fatal disease.~Patients with nonresectable adrenocortical cancer who have progressed on at least one other form of systemic therapy (Mitotane or chemotherapy) will be given Iressa 250 mg by mouth daily until disease progression. This is a standard two-stage Phase II clinical trial. Eighteen patients with measurable disease will be enrolled in the first stage. If there is at least one responder, then an additional nine patients with measurable disease will be enrolled for a total of 27 patients with measurable disease. Up to six patients without measurable disease may be enrolled at any point in this study. Iressa will be provided free for all study participants.
The use of Iressa will result in a greater than 20% response rate in patients with nonresectable adrenocortical cancer who have previously been treated with one other form of systemic therapy (either Mitotane or chemotherapy).