1. Lower Blood Pressure Using Alpha-Adrenergic Blockers
A pheochromocytoma is an adrenal gland tumor located in the center (medulla) of the adrenal gland. It causes the adrenal gland to produce too much adrenaline (epinephrine) and noradrenaline (norepinephrine). These tumors are usually benign, but they can cause severe health problems including very high blood pressure, a fast heart rate and severe headaches. One of the first ways to treat a patient with a pheochromocytoma is to bring lower the blood pressure back down to a normal level. To do this, doctors will prescribe alpha-adrenergic blockers, such as phenoxybenzamine. These alpha-blockers work to prevent the norepinephrine from causing arteries and veins to constrict. Minimizing this constriction causes the patient to experience a higher rate of blood flow and, consequently, a lower blood pressure.
2. Slow Down the Heart Rate With Beta-Adrenergic Blockers
Once the patient's blood pressure has reached a normal level, the next step in the treatment of a person with pheochromocytoma is to slow down the person's heart rate. Doctors use beta-adrenergic blockers for this process. These drugs, such as atenolol, help slow down the patient's heart rate and cause the heart to beat less forcefully. Beta-adrenergic blockers accomplish this by blocking norepinephrine's effects on the heart. This causes the heart's nerve impulses to slow down, which makes the patient's heart beat more slowly. Beta-adrenergic blockers also help to prevent the constriction of blood vessels.
3. Remove the Pheochromocytoma
Once a doctor has lowered a patient's blood pressure using alpha-adrenergic blockers and reduced the patient's heart rate using beta-adrenergic blockers, the doctor will typically attempt to remove the pheochromocytoma from the patient's adrenal gland. Doctors can perform this through a traditional surgery (adrenalectomy) or with the less invasive laparoscopic adrenalectomy. In a laparoscopic adrenalectomy, the doctor makes a small incision in the patient and uses a laparoscope to visualize the pheochromocytoma. The doctor can then remove the tumor. Surgery often proves very effective in treating patients with pheochromocytomas. The patient often sees his symptoms disappear shortly after surgery.
4. Use Chemotherapy and Radiation to Treat Cancerous Tumors
While the majority of pheochromocytomas are benign or non-cancerous, about 10 percent of the tumors are malignant or cancer causing. In cases such as these, doctors will likely use cancer therapies such as chemotherapy and radiation as part of the patient's treatment plan. Chemotherapy drugs can help kill cancer cells in the patient's body, and radiation can serve to shrink the pheochromocytoma and kill any cancer cells present.
