What should I do if a pheochromocytoma ruptures?

Written by Gan Jun
Endocrinology
Updated on February 22, 2025
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When a pheochromocytoma ruptures, it is advised that the patient immediately goes to the emergency department of the hospital for relevant examinations to confirm the diagnosis and to immediately control the blood pressure to a relatively stable and safe level. After a comprehensive evaluation, the urology department will perform emergency surgical removal to save the patient's life. Spontaneous rupture and bleeding of adrenal pheochromocytoma is quite rare. The possible reasons might be long-term hypertension leading to poor vascular function, or rapid tumor growth with high capsule pressure causing vascular rupture. Additionally, intense exercise, excessive fatigue, and transient increases in blood pressure could also be triggering factors.

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Written by Gan Jun
Endocrinology
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Can malignant pheochromocytoma be cured?

When pheochromocytoma becomes malignant, it can be cured through clinical approaches, although malignant pheochromocytoma mainly refers to those that have distant metastases. It primarily exhibits aggressive growth or is accompanied by metastases to other organs, and surgery cannot completely remove it, leading to a high recurrence rate post-surgery. Generally, the five-year survival rate for patients with malignant pheochromocytoma does not exceed half. If treated with chemotherapy or arterial embolization, it can control the patient's blood pressure and alleviate the tumor burden, thereby extending the survival period. In summary, the treatment of malignant pheochromocytoma is relatively challenging, has a high recurrence rate, and poses a significant threat to human life.

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Written by Chen Yu Fei
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Pheochromocytoma clinical manifestations

Pheochromocytoma typically presents with severe hypertension, with blood pressure even reaching above 200/140 mmHg, accompanied by significant discomfort, such as profuse sweating, chest pain, obvious difficulty in breathing, chest tightness, shortness of breath, and other clinical manifestations. Moreover, if not treated timely and effectively, it can even lead to a hypertensive crisis. It also poses a severe threat to the patient’s heart, kidneys, liver, and brain tissues. Some patients might develop cerebrovascular diseases due to very high blood pressure, such as hypertensive cerebral hemorrhage, which can threaten the patient's life.

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Written by Hao Li Bin
Neurosurgery
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Can pheochromocytoma metastasize?

Pheochromocytoma is a special type of tumor originating from chromaffin cells of the adrenal gland. Most of these tumors are benign, with only a minority of patients experiencing malignancy. Clinically, the likelihood of tumor malignancy is about 10%. Most patients have a good prognosis after surgical removal, and if the tumor shows distant metastasis, it can be determined that the disease has become malignant. Due to the unique origin of pheochromocytomas in the adrenal medulla chromaffin cells, the tumor tissue continuously grows in the body and synthesizes and metabolizes catecholamines such as adrenaline, dopamine, and noradrenaline. Clinically, nearly 90% of patients do not develop cancer throughout their lives, therefore most pheochromocytomas are benign. However, about 10% of patients experience distant metastases, and once metastasized, it is considered a malignant tumor.

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Written by Chen Yu Fei
Neurosurgery
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What medication is used for pheochromocytoma?

For patients with pheochromocytoma, it is advisable to choose antihypertensive drugs during medication. Clinically, there are many types of antihypertensive drugs used to treat pheochromocytoma patients, such as alpha-adrenergic receptor blockers, beta-adrenergic receptor blockers, calcium channel blockers, angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors, vasodilators, catecholamine synthesis inhibitors, etc. These drugs can achieve desirable therapeutic effects. Of course, the main treatment for pheochromocytoma is through surgical methods. Only by effectively removing the tumor through surgery can a satisfactory therapeutic effect be achieved, fundamentally leading to a complete cure. (Please use medication under the guidance of a doctor.)

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Written by Gao Yi Shen
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Can pheochromocytoma cause back pain?

Pheochromocytoma can also manifest as back pain, but this typically occurs when the pheochromocytoma has grown very large and is more likely to cause it. Generally, the initial symptoms are more often high blood pressure. After the increase in blood pressure, it can indirectly cause symptoms such as arrhythmias, palpitations, excessive sweating, or dizziness. Therefore, judgment must be based on the situation. If the patient has long-term uncontrolled hypertension, or fluctuating blood pressure, it is important to consider testing for pheochromocytoma. For pheochromocytomas, unless they grow very large and compress surrounding organs, it is rare for abdominal pain to occur. Therefore, a thorough examination is necessary for a clearer diagnosis.