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'''Pheochromocytoma''' is a tumour of the [[adrenal gland]] medulla. It may be benign of malignant.
'''Pheochromocytoma''' is a tumour of the [[adrenal gland]] medulla. It may be benign or malignant.


==General==
==General==

Revision as of 02:49, 23 August 2014

Pheochromocytoma is a tumour of the adrenal gland medulla. It may be benign or malignant.

General

  • Considered to be a paraganglioma.[1]
  • Literally means "dusky" (pheo) "colour" (chromo) - dull appearance on gross.
  • Tumour arises from adrenal medulla - chromaffin cells.[2]

Memory device - the rule of 10s:[2]

Clinical

  • Classic finding: hypertension.
  • Paroxysms (i.e. episodes) of tachycardia, headache, anxiety, hypertension.

Laboratory findings (urine):

  • Vanillylmandelic acid (VMA).
  • Metanephrines.

Microscopic

Features:[3]

  • Chief cells:
    • Usu. polygonal cells, may be spindled.
    • Arranged in cell nests - "Zellballen" (literally cell balls) - key feature.
    • Stippled chromatin (AKA salt and pepper chromatin) - coarsely granular chromatin.
    • Granular cytoplasm, often basophilic - important.
  • Sustentacular cells (structural support cell).
  • Often haemorrhagic - highly vascular.
  • +/-Nuclear pleomorphism.

Notes:

  • The nested architecture (Zellballen) is useful for differentiating from ACC.
  • Metastasis sole criteria of malignancy.[2]
  • Surrounding adrenal cortex is typically compressed.[4]

DDx:

Images

Pheochromocytoma versus adrenal cortical carcinoma

  • Pheochromocytoma and adrenal cortical carcinoma overlap histologically.[5]

Favour pheochromocytoma:

  • Small chickenwire-pattern blood vessels, nests, salt-and-pepper chromatin, red blood cell extravasation.

Favour adrenal cortical carcinoma:

  • Nucleolus, sheeting.

Malignant pheochromoctyoma

  1. Robbins says metastases are the sole criteria of malignancy.[2]
  2. Thompson suggests one can differentiate benign from malignant with the aid of the following:[6]
    • Marked nuclear atypia.
    • Invasion:
      • Capsular.
      • Vascular.
    • Necrosis.
    • Cellular monotony.
    • Mitoses:
      • Rate.
      • Atypical mitosis.

IHC

  • Chief cells:
    • Chromogranin A +ve.
    • Synaptophysin +ve.
  • Sustentacular cells:
    • S100 +ve.

Electron microscopy

  • Membrane-bound secretory granules.

Sign out

ADRENAL MASS, RIGHT, ADRENALECTOMY:
- PHEOCHROMOCYTOMA.
- SURGICAL MARGIN NEGATIVE FOR PHEOCHROMOCYTOMA.

COMMENT:
The tumour cells stains for chromogranin and synaptophysin. S-100 marks the sustentacular cells.
Inhibin is negative in the tumour cells. The immunostaining pattern is consistent with a 
pheochromocytoma.

Micro

The sections shows a partially hemorrhagic lesion in the medulla of the adrenal gland that is arranged in nests (Zellballen). The tumour cells have abundant grey/blue granular cytoplasm, and nuclei with granular chromatin (salt and pepper chromatin). The lesion is surrounded by a compressed rim of adrenal cortex and fibrosis tissue. The core of the lesion is fibrotic and has clusters of hemosiderin-laden macrophages.

There is no capsular invasion. Vascular invasion is not identified. There is no necrosis. Mitotic activity is not appreciated.

The adrenal cortex is unremarkable.

See also

References

  1. ↑ Thompson, Lester D. R. (2006). Endocrine Pathology: A Volume in Foundations in Diagnostic Pathology Series (1st ed.). Churchill Livingstone. pp. 327. ISBN 978-0443066856.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 Mitchell, Richard; Kumar, Vinay; Fausto, Nelson; Abbas, Abul K.; Aster, Jon (2011). Pocket Companion to Robbins & Cotran Pathologic Basis of Disease (8th ed.). Elsevier Saunders. pp. 586. ISBN 978-1416054542.
  3. ↑ Kumar, Vinay; Abbas, Abul K.; Fausto, Nelson; Aster, Jon (2009). Robbins and Cotran pathologic basis of disease (8th ed.). Elsevier Saunders. pp. 1161. ISBN 978-1416031215.
  4. ↑ URL: http://www.pathpedia.com/Education/eAtlas/Histopathology/Adrenal/Pheochromocytoma.aspx. Accessed on: 27 May 2013.
  5. ↑ Sangoi, AR.; McKenney, JK. (Mar 2010). "A tissue microarray-based comparative analysis of novel and traditional immunohistochemical markers in the distinction between adrenal cortical lesions and pheochromocytoma.". Am J Surg Pathol 34 (3): 423-32. doi:10.1097/PAS.0b013e3181cfb506. PMID 20154585.
  6. ↑ Thompson, Lester D. R. (2006). Endocrine Pathology: A Volume in Foundations in Diagnostic Pathology Series (1st ed.). Churchill Livingstone. pp. 259. ISBN 978-0443066856.