pheochromocytoma

Thân thiện

A doctor points to an image of a pheochromocytoma on a medical chart.

Definition

Noun: A rare, usually benign tumor that develops in the chromaffin cells of the adrenal glands. This tumor causes the glands to secrete excessive amounts of the hormones epinephrine (adrenaline) and norepinephrine (noradrenaline), leading to episodes of significantly high blood pressure and other symptoms.

Usage

The term is used in medical contexts to diagnose, discuss, and treat a specific endocrine condition. It is a technical term primarily used by healthcare professionals. - The primary concern with a pheochromocytoma is the uncontrolled release of catecholamines. - Surgical removal is the standard treatment for a pheochromocytoma.

Examples

• The patient's paroxysmal hypertension was finally attributed to a pheochromocytoma.
• Diagnosing a pheochromocytoma often involves measuring metanephrines in blood or urine.
• Pheochromocytoma is sometimes referred to as one of the "ten percent tumors" because approximately 10% are bilateral, malignant, or extra-adrenal.

Advanced Usage

• Rule of 10s: A mnemonic in medicine stating that roughly 10% of pheochromocytomas are bilateral, 10% are extra-adrenal (then called paragangliomas), 10% are malignant, and 10% are familial.
• Pheochromocytoma crisis: A life-threatening state of extreme catecholamine excess causing severe hypertension, arrhythmias, and organ failure.

Variants and Related Words

• Paraganglioma (noun): A closely related tumor of the extra-adrenal autonomic nervous system that can also secrete catecholamines. While all pheochromocytomas are adrenal paragangliomas, the term "paraganglioma" is often used for tumors outside the adrenal glands.
• Chromaffin cell tumor: A more general histological term for tumors arising from chromaffin cells.

Synonyms

• Chromaffin tumor (less common, more general)
• Adrenal medullary tumor (descriptive)

Related Phrases and Concepts

• Catecholamine-secreting tumor: A descriptive phrase for the tumor's function.
• Secondary hypertension: Hypertension caused by an underlying condition like a pheochromocytoma, as opposed to primary (essential) hypertension.

Học thuật

Noun

1. a vascular tumor of the adrenal gland; hypersecretion of epinephrine results in intermittent or sustained hypertension

Từ đồng nghĩa

• phaeochromocytoma