Synonyms
Definition
Pheochromocytomas are rare neuroendocrine tumors. The name phios (dusky), chroma (color), and cytoma (tumor) refers to the color of the tumor cells when stained with chromium salts. Catecholamine-producing neuroendocrine cells are consequently known as chromaffin cells. Some authors restrict the use of pheochromocytoma to tumors of the adrenal medulla, while others use the term more broadly to include paraganglioma. The defining characteristic of pheochromocytoma in clinical practice is the autonomous production of catecholamines (Whiting and Doogue 2009). Sympathetic paraganglial tissue (chromaffin) is mainly located in the adrenal medulla but also in prevertebral and paravertebral thoracoabdominal and pelvic paraganglia or ganglia in the ovary, testis, vagina, urethra, prostate, bladder or liver, and the Zuckerkandl organ (Erlic and Neumann 2009).
Characteristics
Epidemiology
Pheochromocytoma is a rare tumor with an approximate incidence of two to...
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References
Adler JT, Meyer-Rochow GY, Chen H et al (2008) Pheochromocytoma: current approaches and future directions. Oncologist 13:779–793
Anagnostis P, Karagiannis A, Tziomalos K et al (2009) Adrenal incidentaloma: a diagnostic challenge. Hormones 8(3):163–184
Chen H, Sippel RS, O’Dorisio MS, Vinik AI, Lloyd RV, Pacak K. The NANETS consensus guidelines for the diagnosis and management of neuroendocrine tumors: pheochromocytoma, paraganglioma, and medullary thyroid cancer. Pancreas (in press)
Erlic Z, Neumann HP (2009) Familial pheochromocytoma. Hormones 8(1):29–38
Krawczyk A, Hasse-Lazar K, Pawlaczek A et al (2010) Germinal mutations of RET, SDHB, SDHD, and VHL genes in patients with apparently sporadic pheochromocytomas and paragangliomas. Endokrynol Pol/Pol J Endocrinol 61(1):43–48
Lim YH, Rhee WJ, Choi SR et al (2011) Intraoperative hypertension in patient with undiagnosed pheochromocytoma under spinal anesthesia. Korean J Anesthesiol 61(5):439–440
Mannelli M, Castellano M, Schiavi F (2009) Clinically guided genetic screening in a large cohort of Italian patients with pheochromocytomas and/or functional or nonfunctional paragangliomas. J Clin Endocrinol Metab 94(5):1541–1547
Whiting MJ, Doogue MP (2009) Advances in biochemical screening for pheochromocytoma using biogenic amines. Clin Biochem Rev 30:3–17
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© 2014 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg
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Alhefdhi, A., Chen, H. (2014). Pheochromocytoma. In: Schwab, M. (eds) Encyclopedia of Cancer. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-27841-9_4519-7
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-27841-9_4519-7
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Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg
Online ISBN: 978-3-642-27841-9
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