1. Understanding Pheochromocytoma
Pheochromocytoma is a tumor on the adrenal gland. The adrenal gland is located on either side of your body, just above the kidneys. The adrenal gland secretes hormones that give instructions to almost every part of your body. Adrenaline is responsible for the "fight or flight syndrome" which tells the body what to do in an emergency. If you've heard of someone who exhibits superhuman strength to lift a car off a loved one, that is your adrenal gland at work.
2. Know if It Is Cancer or Not
Most cases of pheochromocytoma are benign, or non-cancerous. The causes of the tumor may be related to other diseases, such as neurofibromatosis (multiple tumors in the skin), Von Hippel-Lindau disease (a rare multi system disease) or it may run in your family. Multiple endocrine neoplasia syndrome (MENS) is a complex combination of endocrine system cancers that include cancer of the thyroid and tumors on the lips and mouth.
3. Do You Get a Funny Feeling?
The hormones released by the adrenal glands help regulate blood pressure. If there is a tumor on the adrenal gland, your blood pressure can rise to a dangerously high level and can also fluctuate, leading to a hypertensive crisis. A hypertensive crisis can be caused by stress or anxiety, physical activity that presses on the tumor or anesthesia during surgery. Some drugs, like certain decongestants, can cause high blood pressure if you have pheochromocytoma. Other symptoms of pheochromocytoma can include a rapid and forceful heartbeat, shaky hands, a feeling of anxiety or fright, a feeling of doom, sweating profusely, rapid pulse, chest pain, pale skin, brief headaches that come on suddenly and are severe and upper abdominal pain. An episode of high blood pressure can last between 15 minutes to an hour and occur several times a week.
4. Can You Fix It?
Doctors will check blood and urine samples to measure hormone levels. CT scans and MRI's help to visualize the tumor. Your doctor may prescribe medication for high blood pressure. Surgery to remove the tumor on your adrenal gland is the preferred treatment and in most cases the whole adrenal gland is removed. After surgery for a benign tumor, high blood pressure returns to normal and symptoms disappear. If the pheochromocytoma is malignant, surrounding tissue and lymph nodes may need to be removed as well.
5. How to Proceed
When the pheochromocytoma is benign, there is usually no further treatment needed. The doctor will follow up with you to assess surgical recovery and instruct you to notify him if any symptoms return. If the tumor is cancerous, treatment will include radiation and chemotherapy based on what stage the cancer is. When both adrenal glands are removed, you will take hormones to replace those normally produced by the adrenal glands that are necessary for your health.
