Best Doctors in India for Pheochromocytoma Treatment
Best Hospitals in India for Pheochromocytoma Treatment
Hospital Highlights:
- Apollo Hospitals is a private healthcare group in India, with its headquarters based in Chennai. Established in 1983 by Dr. Prathap C. Reddy, the group offers a wide range of medical treatments and services across various specialties.
- It is renowned for emphasizing innovation and utilizing cutting-edge medical technologies into patient treatment.
- Known as India’s first corporate hospital, Apollo Hospitals is often credited for pioneering the private healthcare revolution in the country.
- With clinics and hospitals located all throughout India, Apollo Hospitals is a nationwide healthcare organization. Its presence can also be found in foreign countries.
- Preventive health examinations, medical and surgical treatment, and diagnostic centres are just a few of the services that the Apollo group provides.
- The group has several centres of expertise, including Cardiac Sciences, Neurosciences, Orthopedics, Emergency Care, Cancer Care, and Organ Transplantation.
- City: Chennai, India
Hospital Highlights:
- RIMC is a multi-specialty hospital in a sprawling area of 36 acres located in Chromepet, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India.
- The facility has 450 beds including 130 critical care beds, 9 operating rooms, modern reference laboratories and radiology services, and is conveniently located near road, rail and air transportation.
- RIMC is led and managed by world-renowned physicians committed to healthcare.
- RIMC offers the broadest range of clinical care, education, and research. The hospital offers state-of-the-art technology and modern treatment facilities designed to provide health care at an affordable cost.
- Rela Institute is driven by patient needs, comfort and confidence.
- City: New Delhi, India
Hospital Highlights:
- Fortis Hospital in Shalimar Bagh is a multi-super specialty hospital that strives to provide world-class patient care by leaving no stone unturned.
- Fortis, Shalimar Bagh, with 262 beds and a 7.34-acre footprint, provides the best level of medical care through its team of doctors, nurses, technicians, and management professionals.
- City: Bengaluru, India
Hospital Highlights:
- Established in 2007, the Apollo Hospitals Bangalore is a 300-bed multispecialty hospital situated in Bannerghatta Road, Bangalore.
- Equipped with the state-of-the-art technology, it is a leading hospital dedicated to providing healthcare needs to patients with compassion and expertise.
- It is the first hospital to have completed the highest number of Robot Assisted Heart Surgeries in India.
- Over the years, it has successfully conducted some of the rarest medical procedures such as spinal angiolipoma excision, autologous chondrocyte implantations, and tibial tuberosity shift with MPSL reconstruction.
- The Apollo Hospitals Bangalore has the reputation of performing the greatest series of airway stents in the country.
- Additionally, the hospital is known for providing comprehensive treatment in specialties such as gastroenterology, urology, gynecology, oncology, colorectal surgery, etc.
- The “The Minimal Access Surgery Centre” (MASC), one of Apollo Hospitals, Bangalore’s premier Centres of Excellence, is devoted to the use of minimally invasive surgical procedures.
- In 2013, THE WEEK-A C Nielsen, Best Hospital Survey ranked Apollo Hospitals Bangalore as the 2nd best multi-speciality hospital in Bangalore.
- City: Mumbai, India
Hospital Highlights:
- Gleneagles Global Hospital The 450-bed facility comprises of 17-stories, housing state-of-the-art infrastructure, and advanced medical care facilities.
- The hospital offers end-to-end clinical, surgical, and diagnostic services. It is equipped with a team of eminent medical professionals aided by qualified nurses and medical staff
- The Hospital offers advanced Endoscopic procedures, Hepatobiliary and Liver Surgeries, Surgical and Medical Gastroenterology, Bariatric Surgery, and Robotic surgery.
- The hospital is a center of excellence for Orthopedics, Joint Replacement, Knee Replacement, and Hip Replacement surgery.
- City: Hyderabad, India
Hospital Highlights:
- CARE Hospitals were established in the year 2000, by CARE Group.
- The multispecialty hospital has 435 beds, including 120 critical care beds, with an annual inflow of 180000 outpatients and 16,000 in-patients.
- The hospital provides specialty medical services in Cardiology, Cardiothoracic Surgery, Pediatric Cardiology, Pediatric Cardiothoracic Surgery, Neurology, Neurosurgery, Nephrology, and Urology.
- The hospital has the first dual source, 128 slice CT scanner (for high precision cardiac imaging) – the first of its kind in south India.
- The hospital offers a wide range of accommodation facilities for the convenience of its varied patient base, ranging from general wards to super deluxe rooms.
- City: Mumbai, India
Hospital Highlights:
- Fortis Hospital in Mulund is a 315-bed multi-speciality tertiary care hospital with five JCI accreditations that offers a wide variety of diagnostic and treatment services. The Fortis Hospital in Mulund delivers patient-centred treatment with cutting-edge technology, highly skilled and experienced surgeons, and paramedical staff.
- This institution houses Maharashtra’s largest multi-organ transplant centre. It is also the first heart transplant centre in western India to conduct 100 or more consecutive heart transplants in under four years. It is the only hospital in the city to have multi-organ transplants and has handled the youngest patient for angioplasty. Fortis Hospital Mulund now boasts the first advanced surgical robot in central Mumbai.
- Cardiology and heart surgery, urology, nephrology, neurosciences, orthopaedics, digestive care, emergency and critical care, and maternity care are among the services provided by the hospital.
- City: New Delhi, India
Hospital Highlights:
- Manipal Hospitals, Dwarka, is a super-specialty hospital in Dwarka, New Delhi, which is a part of Manipal Hospitals Group.
- The hospital aims to provide the best treatment on par with international standards at a fraction of the cost.
- Equipped with 380 beds, the hospital is also one of the new age hospitals which are equipped fully with state-of-the-art infrastructure, cutting-edge technology as well as the latest and advanced clinical practices. The hospital also has 13 modular Operation theatres with 118 beds which are solely meant for critical care.
- The hospital comprises internationally acclaimed doctors and highly professional and experienced hospital and medical staff who are able to provide preventive, therapeutic, and diagnostic services all under one roof.
- City: Chennai, India
Hospital Highlights:
- Located in Chennai, India, MGM Healthcare is a top multispecialty hospital that provides all medical services under one roof.
- Since its founding in 2019, MGM Healthcare has quickly become a leading national referral centre, creating several innovative flagship initiatives.
- MGM Healthcare combines next-generation medical and digital technologies to provide better patient results.
- With 12 centres of excellence, more than 400 inpatient beds, 100 intensive care unit beds, and 24/7 emergency care, MGM Healthcare leaves no chance in redefining the patient experience in Chennai.
- MGM Healthcare boasts 250+ expert doctors across 30+ departments, including Cardiology, Pulmonology, Neurology, Obstetrics & Gynaecology, and more.
- They house 12 specialized Centres of Excellence, including Neurosciences, Orthopaedics, and Multi-Organ Transplantation.
- Their team of doctors, nurses, and paramedics works together to give every patient individualized treatment.
Hospital Highlights:
- Lilavati Hospital & Research Centre is India’s premier multi-speciality tertiary care hospital and has been recognised as a global medical excellence centre.
- Lilavati Hospital & Research Centre has built an unrivalled level of trust with its patients over the years, thanks to a solid foundation that comprises cutting-edge facilities, the best medical competence, research, education, and charity endeavours.
- The hospital is quite proud of the fact that it now serves patients from all kinds of backgrounds, not just from the United States but from all around the world.
- The hospital has a total of 323 beds, one of the largest Intensive Care Units (ICUs), 12 Operation Theatres with modern amenities, over 300 consultants, and almost 1,800 personnel.
Pheochromocytoma
Pheochromocytoma is a rare type of tumor that usually grows in the adrenal glands, above the kidneys. It is also known as an adrenal paraganglioma or a chromaffin cell tumor. It is generally common in adults between the ages of 30 to 50, though people of all ages might have it. Ten percent of all cases are known to occur among children.
Your adrenal glands produce hormones for controlling things like your metabolism and your blood pressure. A pheochromocytoma releases hormones as well, at much higher levels than normal. These extra hormones can lead to high blood pressure, and this might lead to damage to several of your organs, such as your brain, heart, lungs, and kidneys.
Though most pheochromocytoma tumors are benign, around 10 to 15 percent of them are generally cancerous, and they might spread to other parts of the body.
Symptoms
People having these tumors suffer from high blood pressure all the time. For others, it can go up and down.
Most people also have at least one or more of the following symptoms:
- Constipation
- Dizziness while standing
- Pale skin
- Fast or uneven heartbeat
- Severe headache
- Nausea
- Tremors
- Shortness of breath
- Unusual sweating
- Stomach, side, or back pain
- Vomiting
- Weakness
- Anxiety attacks
- Unintended weight loss
These symptoms can occur suddenly, like an attack, multiple times during a day. For some people, they might occur only a few times a month. As the tumor grows, the attacks can get stronger and might occur more often.
In some people, the attacks might be triggered by certain things such as:
- Pressure on the tumor
- Massage
- Certain medications
- Physical activity
- Childbirth
- Surgery
- Too much emotional stress
- Foods containing excessive amino acid tyramine, such as red wine, chocolate, or cheese
Causes & risk factors
Researchers are still unsure of what exactly is the cause of pheochromocytoma. This tumor develops in specialized cells, which are termed chromaffin cells, located in the center of an adrenal gland.
These cells release certain hormones, primarily adrenaline, and noradrenaline that helps to control several body functions, such as heart rate, blood pressure as well as blood sugar.
Adrenaline and noradrenaline trigger your body’s fight-or-flight response when a threat is perceived. The hormones can cause your blood pressure to increase as well as your heart to beat faster. They also prepare other body systems in order to help enable you to react quicker. A pheochromocytoma causes more of these hormones to be released even when you’re not in a threatening situation.
People having certain rare inherited disorders are at an increased risk of pheochromocytoma or paraganglioma. It is also likely that tumors associated with these disorders will be cancerous.
These genetic conditions include the following:
Multiple endocrine neoplasias, type 2 (MEN 2) – This disorder results in tumors in more than a single part of the body’s hormone-producing (endocrine) system. Other tumors which are associated with this condition may appear on the thyroid, tongue, parathyroid, lips, as well as the gastrointestinal tract.
Neurofibromatosis 1 (NF1) – This can result in multiple tumors in the skin, pigmented skin spots as well as tumors of the optic nerve.
Von Hippel-Lindau disease – This disorder can result in tumors at multiple sites, which can include the central nervous system, endocrine system, pancreas as well as kidneys.
Hereditary paraganglioma syndromes – These are inherited disorders which may result in paragangliomas or pheochromocytomas.
Diagnosis
Your doctor might require multiple tests for diagnosing this condition. These can include the following:
- PET imaging
- MRI
- Blood plasma test for catecholamine and metanephrine levels
- Laboratory tests in order to assess the hormone levels
- Urine metanephrines test for catecholamine and metanephrine levels
Treatment
Generally, the primary treatment for pheochromocytoma is surgery for removing the tumor. However, before you go for surgery, your doctor should likely recommend certain blood pressure medications. These are meant to block the actions of the high-adrenaline hormones and to lower the risk of developing extreme high blood pressure.
You will likely receive few drugs which can include alpha-blockers, for improving blood flow and decreasing blood pressure and beta-blockers, to make your heart beat slowly with less force.
It is also likely that your healthcare team will instruct you to consume a high-salt diet. These medications can cause a huge drop in your blood pressure; a high-salt diet will help you draw more fluid inside the blood vessels, and prevent you from having low blood pressure during and after the surgery.
Surgery
During the surgery, in most cases, the surgeon removes the entire adrenal gland with a pheochromocytoma using minimally invasive surgery. For this, your surgeon will need to create a few tiny openings through which he/she will insert wandlike devices equipped with video cameras and small tools.
The remaining healthy adrenal gland is able to carry out the functions normally performed by two. Blood pressure will likely return to normal within a short time.
If the other adrenal gland has been removed, then during the surgery, your doctor will remove only the tumor, and spare some of the healthy tissue.
If a tumor is cancerous, the tumor and other cancerous tissues are going to be removed. However, even if all of the cancerous tissues are not removed, surgery might limit the production of hormones. It also helps in providing some control over the blood pressure.
Cancerous pheochromocytoma treatments
Certains pheochromocytomas are also cancerous. And therefore, other treatments can be required for them, such as:
MIBG
This is a special kind of radiation therapy. It combines MIBG, a compound that attaches to the adrenal tumors, with a type of radioactive iodine. The goal of the treatment is to deliver radiation therapy to a specific site and eliminate the cancerous cells.
Chemotherapy
Chemotherapy involves using powerful drugs for killing fast-growing cancer cells.
Radiation therapy
This treatment might be used for symptomatic treatment of tumors that have spread to other parts of the body and causing pain.
Targeted cancer therapies
These medications help to stop the function of naturally occurring molecules that promote the growth and spread of cancerous cells.
Peptide receptor radionuclide therapy (PRRT)
PRRT combines a drug that targets cancer cells with a small amount of a radioactive substance. It allows radiation to be delivered to the cancer cells directly.
People having pheochromocytoma which is not cancerous generally have a 5-year survival rate of 96 percent, while for people with a cancerous tumor, the survival rate is 44 percent.
For ensuring successful treatment, an early diagnosis is not always enough. It is best that you seek out a surgeon who is highly skilled and experienced.
Complications
High blood pressure caused by the tumors can cause damage to various organs, especially tissues of the cardiovascular system, brain, or even the kidneys. Some of the critical conditions include the following:
- Heart disease
- Kidney failure
- Problems with the nerves of the eye
- Stroke