A Case of Malignant Metastatic Pheochromocytoma After Eight Years of Primary Diagnosis

Abstract

We \t\t\treport a case of a 66-year-old female who presented to the hospital \t\t\twith abdominal discomfort for 3 months. Work-up revealed a 2.4 cm \t\t\tmass in the right adrenal gland. A laparoscopic resection of the \t\t\tadrenal mass was performed and the histopathology was consistent \t\t\twith a pheochromocytoma. Patient was under active surveillance for 8 \t\t\tyears, until she developed local recurrence in the right adrenal \t\t\tbed. A right adrenal bed resection and right nephrectomy were \t\t\tperformed. Although the tumor margins were positive, none of the \t\t\tsampled lymph nodes (0/6) were positive for metastasis. Patient \t\t\trefused any adjuvant therapy, and was discharged on surveillance \t\t\tfrom the hospital. A year later, patient was found to have \t\t\tmetastatic disease involving her spine, iliac bones, bilateral hips \t\t\tand right dome of the diaphragm. Patient was offered a \t\t\tmetaiodobenzylguanidine scan, and positive subsequent treatment with \t\t\tradioactive iodine was discussed with her. However, she denied any \t\t\tfurther intervention and was made hospice. World J Oncol. 2014;5(1):33-40 http://dx.doi.org/10.14740/wjon760w