Pheochromocytoma historical perspective

Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1] Associate Editor(s)-in-Chief: Mohammed Abdelwahed M.D[2] Ifrah Fatima, M.B.B.S[3]

Adrenal pheochromocytoma and its typical clinical presentation was first described by Frankel in 1886. The term pheochromocytoma was coined by Ludwig Pick in 1912. In 1926, Cesar Roux in Switzerland, Charles H. Mayo in the United States, and Isidor Papo in Yugoslavia were the first surgeons to successfully remove pheochromocytomas. An autopsy revealed President Eisenhower had a 1.5-cm pheochromocytoma in the left adrenal gland.

• Adrenal pheochromocytoma and its typical clinical presentation was first described by Charles Sugrue in 1800.
• Its histological findings were first reported by Felix Fraenkel and Max Schottelius in 1886.
• Manasse in 1893 reported four cases of adrenocortical tumors and one case of an adrenal medulla tumor.
• Extra-adrenal pheochromocytoma was first described by Alezais and Peyron in 1908.
• The term pheochromocytoma was coined by Ludwig Pick in 1912.
• In 1922, the association between paroxysmal hypertension and pheochromocytoma was described by L’Abbe et al.
• In the early 1900s, there were case reports describing genetic implications in the pathogenesis of pheochromocytomas and its association with syndromes like NF1, VHL, and multiple endocrine neoplasia type 2 (MEN2) emerged.
• Later between 1940 and 1960, literature reviews and case series defined the genetic associations. ^[1]

• In 1926, Cesar Roux in Switzerland, Charles H. Mayo in the United States, and Isidor Papo in Yugoslavia were the first surgeons to successfully surgically remove pheochromocytomas. ^{[2] [3]}

The following are a few famous cases of pheochromocytoma:

• President Eisenhower– After his death, an autopsy revealed a 1.5-cm pheochromocytoma in the left adrenal gland. On analysis of his blood pressure through his life, fluctuating systolic and diastolic blood pressure spikes were documented. ^[4]