PHAEOCHROMOCYTOMA

SUMMARY

1. Pheochromocytomas are rare tumors that arise from chromaffin tissue, with symptoms due to secretion of catecholamines: epinephrine, norepinephrine, and dopamine.

2. 10% of pheos are extra-adrenal tumors that are called extra-adrenal paragangliomas: risk of malignancy is higher.

3. The differential diagnosis includes labile essential hypertension, anxiety, hyperthyroidism, hypoglyce­mia, menopausal flushing and carcinoid.

Reference(s)

Wilkinson, I., Furmedge, D. and Sinharay, R. (2017). Oxford handbook of clinical medicine. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Get it on Amazon.
Feather, A., Randall, D. and Waterhouse, M. (2020). Kumar And Clark’s Clinical Medicine. 10th ed. S.L.: Elsevier Health Sciences. Get it on Amazon.
Hannaman, R. A., Bullock, L., Hatchell, C. A., & Yoffe, M. (2016). Internal medicine review core curriculum, 2017-2018. CO Springs, CO: MedStudy.
Therapeutic Guidelines. Melbourne: Therapeutic Guidelines Limited. https://www.tg.org.au [Accessed 2021].