title: Histologically benign but telomerase positive adrenal pheochromocytoma.
abstract: Adrenalectomy was performed on a 37-year-old woman with right adrenal pheochromocytoma. Although the histological diagnosis was benign, telomerase repeat amplification protocol (TRAP) demonstrated positive telomerase activity. Thirty-five months after adrenalectomy, a recurrent tumor was found. Forty-seven months after adrenalectomy, bone metastases also appeared. Malignant pheochromocytoma was clinically diagnosed. Our experience suggests that telomerase-positive tumor cells are highly likely to repeat cell proliferation when they are left in the patient's body, and lead to recurrence. Therefore, telomerase-positive tumors should be clinically treated as malignant even if they have been histologically diagnosed as benign.
authors.affiliation: Department of Urology, Hamamatsu University School of Medicine, Hamamatsu and Department of Urology, Fujinomiya Municipal Hospital, Fujinomiya, Japan.
authors.forename: Yasuhiro
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Hirano
authors.forename: Syunsuke
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Nobata
authors.forename: Hisaya
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Takahashi
authors.forename: Shinji
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kageyama
authors.forename: Hiroshi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Sudoko
authors.forename: Tomomi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Ushiyama
authors.forename: Kazuo
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Suzuki
authors.forename: Kimio
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Fujita
mesh_terms: D000310:Adrenal Gland Neoplasms / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000473:pathology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010673:Pheochromocytoma / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000473:pathology*; D019098:Telomerase / Q000032:analysis*
chemical_list: D019098:Telomerase