A Case of Neurofibromatosis Type 1 Diagnosed with Pheochromocytoma after Breast Cancer Surgery

Abstract

A 52-year-old woman who had been diagnosed with neurofibromatosis type 1 underwent surgery for left breast cancer 6 years earlier. A CT scan taken one year after the surgery disclosed a left retroperitoneal tumor, but we decided to follow it under a diagnosis of retroperitoneal neurofibroma because she had not clinical symptoms and hypertension. Thereafter the left retroperitoneal tumor gradually enlarged to 70 mm in diameter on CT taken 6 months earlier. At that time, we considered a possibility of pheochromocytoma, and with close exploration, the diagnosis of left pheochromocytoma was made. After doxazocin was gradually increased the dose to 14 mg/day, laparoscopic left adrenalectomy was performed. We have experienced a case of neurofibromatosis type 1 with breast cancer operated on, in which during follow-up period after breast cancer surgery a retroperitoneal tumor was detected and diagnosed as pheochromocytoma by close exploration done several years later. Neurofibromatosis type 1 can be associated with a variety of tumorous lesion and it is important to perform screening tests for pheochromocytoma if necessary and not to overlook it.