Pheochromocytoma

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Adrenal gland hormone secretion

Adrenal metastases, CT scan

Adrenal Tumor - CT

Endocrine glands

Chromaffin tumors; Paraganglionoma

Treatment involves removing the tumor with surgery. It is important to stabilize blood pressure and pulse with medication before surgery. You may need to stay in the hospital with close monitoring of your vital signs.

After surgery, it is necessary to continually monitor all vital signs in an intensive care unit. When the tumor cannot be surgically removed, medication is needed to manage it. This usually requires a combination of medications to control the effects of the excessive hormones. Radiation therapy and chemotherapy have not been effective in curing this kind of tumor.

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Most patients who have noncancerous tumors that are removed with surgery are still alive after 5 years. The tumors come back in less than 10% of these patients. Levels of the hormones norepinephrine and epinephrine return to normal after surgery.

High blood pressure may not be cured in 25% of patients after surgery. However, standard treatments can usually control high blood pressure. In about 10% of people, the tumor may return.

Call your health care provider if:

• You have symptoms of pheochromocytoma
• You had a pheochromocytoma in the past and your symptoms return

Review Date: 09/26/2010
Reviewed By: David C. Dugdale, III, MD, Professor of Medicine, Division of General Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of Washington School of Medicine; Yi-Bin Chen, MD, Leukemia/Bone Marrow Transplant Program, Massachusetts General Hospital. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, A.D.A.M., Inc.

A.D.A.M., Inc. is accredited by URAC, also known as the American Accreditation HealthCare Commission (www.urac.org).