Chromaffin tumors
Key points
- Pheochromocytoma is a tumor of the adrenal gland that causes excess release of epinephrine and norepinephrine, hormones that regulate heart rate and blood pressure.
- Pheochromocytoma may occur as a single tumor or as multiple growths.
- Signs and tests Vital signs (temperature, pulse, rate of breathing, blood pressure) reveal high blood pressure (hypertension) that may be sustained or episodic, rapid heart rate, and elevated temperature.
- For patients who have noncancerous tumors that are removed with surgery, the 5-year survival rate is 95%, with recurrence in less than 10% of patients.
Alternative names
Pheochromocytoma
Definition
Pheochromocytoma is a tumor of the adrenal gland that causes excess release of epinephrine and norepinephrine, hormones that regulate heart rate and blood pressure.
Causes, incidence, and risk factors
Pheochromocytoma may occur as a single tumor or as multiple growths. It usually develops in the medulla (center or core) of one or both adrenal glands. Sometimes this kind of tumor occurs outside the adrenal gland, usually somewhere else in the abdomen. Less than 10% of pheochromocytomas are malignant (cancerous), with the potential to spread to other parts of the body.
The tumors may occur at any age, but they are most common from early to mid-adulthood. A common clinical feature is a paroxysm (an attack of symptoms listed below) that may be frequent but sporadic (occurring at unpredictable intervals). The paroxysms may increase in frequency, duration and severity as the tumor grows.
Symptoms
- Severe headache
- Palpitations
- Rapid heart rate
- Sweating
- Flushing
- Chest pain
- Abdominal pain
- Nervousness
- Irritability
- Increased appetite
- Loss of weight
Additional symptoms that may be associated with this disease:
- Sleeping difficulty
- Hand tremor
- High blood pressure
Signs and tests
Vital signs (temperature, pulse, rate of breathing, blood pressure) reveal high blood pressure (hypertension) that may be sustained or episodic, rapid heart rate, and elevated temperature.
Tests include:
- An adrenal biopsy that shows pheochromocytoma
- A MIBG scintiscan that shows tumor
- An MRI of abdomen that shows adrenal mass
- An abdominal CT scan that shows mass.
- Elevated urine metanephrine
- Elevated urine catecholamines
- Abnormal results of a glucose test
- Abnormal levels of catecholamines in the blood
Written and revised by
Gerald Hurowitz, M.D.
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