A pheochromocytoma is a tumor in the adrenal gland. It causes the gland to make too much of the hormones epinephrine and norepinephrine. This tumor often occurs when you are in your 30s, 40s, or 50s. It happens to both men and women. Experts don't know what causes these tumors.
Even benign adrenal tumors can be dangerous or cause uncomfortable symptoms. Adrenal tumors can be malignant (cancer) or benign (not cancerous). Even benign adrenal tumors can be dangerous or cause uncomfortable symptoms.
As a general rule of thumb, adrenal tumors greater than 4 cm should be considered for removal (3 cm for younger people). The skilled interpretation of your blood work and X-ray studies is where an experienced adrenal gland surgeon is extremely important in guiding whether adrenal gland removal is necessary.
When the tumor is found at the early stage and can be removed surgically, the five-year survival rate is 50-60 percent. The prognosis for adrenal cancers that have spread to nearby or distant organs is much less favorable, with only 10-20 percent surviving five years.
Surgeons often perform a procedure called an adrenalectomy to remove a benign adrenal tumor. They can often use a minimally invasive (laparoscopic) surgery for tumors in the adrenal gland. This procedure uses small cuts (incisions) instead of the large cut that's used in open surgery.
The causes of adrenal tumors are not fully understood, although we know that some rare genetic conditions increase the risk. These include multiple endocrine neoplasia type 2, von Hippel–Lindau syndrome, familial paraganglioma syndrome, neurofibromatosis type 1, Carney complex, and Li–Fraumeni syndrome.
An adrenalectomy is a surgical procedure to remove the adrenal gland if it is cancerous and/or producing too much hormone. The adrenalectomy is typically performed through small incisions (minimally invasive) although it also may be performed as an open surgery.
Adrenal cancer treatment usually involves surgery to remove all of the cancer. Other treatments might be used to prevent the cancer from coming back or if surgery isn't an option.
This is because benign nodules can grow. The results of our study show that approximately one-third of radiologically proven adrenal adenomas grow over time, and all adenomas that grew did so at a rate less than 3 mm/year, whereas all malignant adrenal nodules grew faster than 5 mm/year.
Adrenal tumors are usually removed with a minimally invasive surgery called a laparoscopic adrenalectomy. When you remove an adrenal tumor, you remove the associated adrenal gland with it. Your body can easily adapt to having only one adrenal gland secreting the hormones necessary for your daily living.
The 5-year survival rate for people with adrenocortical carcinoma is 50%. However, the survival rate depends on different factors, including the extent (or stage) of cancer at the time it is diagnosed. Other factors that affect survival include the person's age and whether the tumor produces hormones.
In general, the five year survival rate for all patients diagnosed with adrenocortical carcinoma approaches 50%. When including those unable to undergo surgery, five year survival rates decrease to approximately 35%. Five year survival rates are different depending on the Stage of the tumor.
While benign (non-cancerous) tumors in the adrenal gland are very common, cancers in or around this gland are very rare. They are found in only 1 or 3 per 1 million people. These tumors can give off too much cortisol or other hormones.
You'll need to refrain from heavy lifting, motions that put strain on your abdomen and vigorous activities for up to a month after your laparoscopic adrenalectomy to avoid a hernia, and recovery can take about six weeks after an open adrenal surgery.
If an adrenocortical carcinoma has spread, doctors may prescribe chemotherapy drugs such as doxorubicin, cisplatin, or etoposide, which are given through a vein with intravenous (IV) infusion. These drugs are usually given a few days a week every three or four weeks.
“Although the majority of these tumors are benign, around 30% of adrenal tumors greater than 4 cm are malignant - most represented by adrenal cortical carcinoma, and the survival rate for these patients is very poor unless detected early.”
Adrenal cancers (carcinomas) are very rare, and the exact number diagnosed in the United States each year is not known. It is probably around 200 per year. These cancers are much less common than benign adrenal tumors (adenomas), which are found fairly often among middle aged and elderly people.
As an adrenal cancer grows, it presses on nearby organs and tissues. This may cause pain near the tumor, a feeling of fullness in the abdomen, or trouble eating because of a feeling of filling up easily.
A majority of cases are metastatic at the time of diagnosis, with the most common sites of spread being the local periadrenal tissue, lymph nodes, lungs, liver, and bone.
What are the complications of adrenal disorders? The adrenal glands and the hormones they control are important to many of your body's functions. Untreated disorders can have serious complications. Some of them may be life-threatening.
Genetic syndromes
The majority of adrenal cortex cancers are not inherited (sporadic), but some (up to 15%) are caused by a genetic defect. This is more common in adrenal cancers in children.
Rupture of an adrenal pheochromocytoma is extremely rare and can be lethal, with a mortality rate of approximately 32%. Most of the patients present abdominal pain of acute onset, while some patients complain of lumbar or chest pain. The exact mechanism of pheochromocytoma rupture remains unknown.
Most benign adrenal tumors cause no symptoms and don't need treatment. But sometimes these tumors secrete high levels of certain hormones that can cause complications. The most common hormones that can be over-secreted are aldosterone and cortisol from the cortex and adrenalin hormones from the medulla.