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Coexistence of a Pituitary Macroadenoma and Pheochromocytoma—A Case Report and Review of the Literature

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Abstract

A 59-year old man, who had a hypertensive crisis during transsphenoidal surgery for a pituitary macroadenoma, was subsequently found to have an adrenal pheochromocytoma. A total of twenty-five cases describing the coexistence of a pituitary adenoma and pheochromocytoma have been reported in the literature over the past 40 years. Among pituitary tumors, acromegaly has been the most common. In an effort to identify the relationship between the two tumors, multiple theories have been suggested including fortuitous association, overlap or variants of MEN syndromes, and ectopic production of a trophic hormone by the pheochromocytoma. The high risk of mortality and morbidity associated with undiagnosed pheochromocytoma warrants careful attention to the possibility of such a coexistence.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Internal Medicine, Cleveland Clinic Foundation Cleveland, Ohio, USA

    Suzanne M. Breckenridge

  2. Department of Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism, Cleveland Clinic Foundation Cleveland, Ohio, USA

    Amir H. Hamrahian & Charles Faiman

  3. Department of Radiation Oncology, Cleveland Clinic Foundation Cleveland, Ohio, USA

    John Suh

  4. Department of Anatomic Pathology, Cleveland Clinic Foundation Cleveland, Ohio, USA

    Richard Prayson

  5. Department of Neurosurgery, Cleveland Clinic Foundation Cleveland, Ohio, USA

    Marc Mayberg

Authors
  1. Suzanne M. Breckenridge
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  2. Amir H. Hamrahian
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  3. Charles Faiman
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  4. John Suh
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  5. Richard Prayson
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  6. Marc Mayberg
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Breckenridge, S.M., Hamrahian, A.H., Faiman, C. et al. Coexistence of a Pituitary Macroadenoma and Pheochromocytoma—A Case Report and Review of the Literature. Pituitary 6, 221–225 (2003). https://doi.org/10.1023/B:PITU.0000023429.89644.7b

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/B:PITU.0000023429.89644.7b

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