A benign tumor that is located either on one of the adrenal glands or in other organs of the nervous system is called pheochromocytoma - the symptoms of this disease testify to the hormonal activity of the neoplasm. It consists of cells of chromaffin tissue and brain substance. Malignant tumors of this type are rare, in only 10% of cases.
Pheochromocytoma - causes
It is not known why this disease develops. There are suspicions that the neoplasm appears as a result of genetic mutations.
Most often the disease affects people in adulthood, from 25 to 50 years, mostly women. Rarely, the tumor grows in children, and in most cases it occurs in boys.
Malignant pheochromocytoma is often combined with other types of cancer (thyroid, intestines, mucous membranes), but metastases are not characteristic for it.
Signs of pheochromocytoma
Symptomatology directly depends on the location of the tumor, since the tumor of the adrenal gland produces 2 types of hormones: adrenaline and norepinephrine. In other cases, it produces only norepinephrine. Accordingly, the effect of pheochromocytoma will be much more noticeable with its adrenal location.
In addition, the symptoms are different for known forms of the disease, which are classified according to the clinical course:
- paroxysmal;
- constant;
- mixed.
Paroxysmal pheochromocytoma - symptoms:
- the classical triad of Carney (heart palpitations, increased sweating, headache);
- sharp and sudden increase in blood pressure indicators to 300 mm Hg. Art. and more;
- pallor;
- an inexplicable sense of fear;
- dizziness;
- pain in the abdomen and behind the sternum;
- dyspnea;
- nausea;
- polyuria;
- visual impairment;
- temperature increase;
- vomiting.
For the constant form of the tumor is characterized by a moderate persistent increase in pressure and signs are similar to the course of hypertensive disease.
Mixed type of neoplasm causes hypertensive crisis - with pheochromocytoma it can lead to a significant hemorrhage in the retina of the eye, pulmonary edema or stroke.
Pheochromocytoma - diagnosis
The diagnosis is made after a number of laboratory tests:
- a study of blood for the maintenance of catecholamines, the presence of leukocytosis, increased ESR, hyperglycemia, erythrocytosis, eosonophilia;
- urine analysis for the identification of cylindruria, proteinuria, glucosuria, excretion of vanillylmandelic acid;
- functional tests with histamine and reginal.
Additional information can be obtained through ultrasound of the adrenal glands , computed tomography, aortography, scintigraphy.
It should be noted that pheochromocytoma has an incubation period of sufficient duration to detect the disease in time and start therapy. Therefore, every person suffering from hypertension needs to undergo a medical examination to exclude the tumor in question as a cause of increased blood pressure.
Pheochromocytoma - complications and prognosis
Most of the negative consequences develop after crises:
- myocardial infarction;
- impaired circulation of the brain;
- pulmonary edema ;
- heart failure.
In the absence of necessary medical measures, patients, basically, perish.
Timely therapy and surgical removal of pheochromocytoma allow to achieve a positive prognosis, especially if the tumor is not malignant and there are no metastases. As practice shows, relapses occur only in 5-10% of cases, and the residual phenomena are well adjusted with the help of medications.