title: Metachronous pheochromocytoma metastasis to the upper dorsal spine-6-year survival.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Malignant pheochromocytoma is a rare neoplasm of chromaffin tissue. Very few cases of malignant adrenal pheochromocytoma metastatic to vertebrae exist.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To determine the prognosis of a patient with an excised adrenal pheochromocytoma and a single metachronous metastasis to the upper dorsal spine.
  
  
  METHODS
  Case report
  
  
  METHODS
  The authors report a patient who underwent total excision of an adrenal pheochromocytoma of the left adrenal gland in 2000 who developed a single metastasis to the second dorsal vertebra in 2002 with no evidence of abdominal recurrence.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Four-year survival is documented after the spinal metastasis was first detected after two attempts at excision and radiotherapy.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Patients with adrenal pheochromocytomas must be screened periodically with whole body imaging despite normal abdominal imaging as there is a definite risk of metachronous metastasis. Aggressive therapy may result in improving survival significantly in a subset of patients with isolated spinal metastases.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurosurgery, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Ansari Nagar, New Delhi 110029, India.
authors.forename: Manish K
authors.initials: MK
authors.lastname: Kasliwal
authors.forename: Manish S
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Sharma
authors.forename: Sandeep
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Vaishya
authors.forename: Bhawani S
authors.initials: BS
authors.lastname: Sharma
mesh_terms: D000310:Adrenal Gland Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery; D000328:Adult; D017809:Fatal Outcome; D006801:Humans; D008159:Lumbar Vertebrae; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010673:Pheochromocytoma / Q000556:secondary* / Q000601:surgery; D013125:Spinal Neoplasms / Q000556:secondary* / Q000601:surgery