An adrenal cortical adenoma with neuroendocrine-type granules mimicking pheochromocytoma

ABSTRACT

Clinical and biochemical presentation of adrenal tumors may rarely conflict with their histologic features. In the present report, we describe a rare case of adrenal neoplasm clinically and biochemically labeled as pheochromocytoma which at histologic examination resulted adrenal cortical tumor. The neoplasm was examined with the electron microscope which revealed the presence of electron-dense neuroendocrine-type granules next to intracytoplasmic lipid droplets. The patient underwent laparoscopic left adrenalectomy which leads to normalization of 24 h urinary metanephrine and normetanephrine. This exceptional entity should be taken into consideration when the clinical and laboratory features conflict with the histological examination. The pathologist can clarify the mixed nature of the tumor by means of the identification of neuroendocrine granules at the electron microscope examination.

KEYWORDS:

• Adrenal
• endocrine
• general surgical pathology
• neuroendocrine tumor
• surgery

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No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Data availability statement

The data that support the findings of this study are available upon reasonable request.

Additional information

Funding

The author(s) received no financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.