A rare case of adrenal pheochromocytoma with unusual clinical and biochemical presentation : a case report and literature review

Abstract EN

A 50-year-old Omani woman presented to the Outpatient Clinic, Royal Hospital, Oman with right upper abdominal pain and backache that had lasted 10 days.

She had no palpitation, sweating, or hypertension (blood pressure 122/78mmHg).

The patient’s history revealed that she had a similar incidence of abdominal pain two months prior, which was a “dull ache” in nature and somewhat associated with headache.

The pain was relieved using a mild analgesic drug.

Abdominal ultrasonography showed a right adrenal mass, and both computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging of the adrenal glands confirmed a right adrenal mass consistent with adrenal pheochromocytoma.

However, clinical biochemistry tests revealed normal levels of plasma catecholamines (dopamine, norepinephrine, and epinephrine) and metanephrine, which are unusual findings in adrenal pheochromocytoma.

Meanwhile, the patient had markedly raised plasma normetanephrine (10-fold) which, together with the normal metanephrine, constitutes a metabolic profile that is compatible with extra-adrenal pheochromocytoma.

The patient also had markedly raised chromogranin A (16-fold), consistent with the presence of a neuroendocrine tumor.

Laparoscopic right adrenalectomy was done and the adrenal tumor was excised and retrieved in total.

Histopathology and immunohistochemistry confirmed the diagnosis of adrenal pheochromocytoma; the tumor cells being positive for chromogranin, synaptophysin, and S-100 protein.

Following surgery, the patient did well and showed full recovery at follow-up after three months.

Molecular genetic testing showed no pathogenic mutation in pheochromocytoma genes: MAX, SDHA, SDHAF2, SDHB, SDHC, SDHD, VHL, and PRKAR1A.

A review of the literature was conducted to identify the pathophysiology and any previous reports of such case.

To our knowledge, this is the first report in Oman of the extremely rare entity of pheochromocytoma with an unusual clinical and biochemical scenario.