U P S TAT E M E D I C A L UNIVERSITY NEWS Syracuse, NY | May 2016
WHY NOT SALVAGE THE ADRENAL GLAND? Location, size and function influence how tumors of the adrenal gland should be treated. When a tumor needs to be removed, many doctors recommend taking out the entire adrenal gland. Gennady Bratslavsky, MD, chair of the department of urology at Upstate, says adrenalectomy is not always the best option. If one gland is removed, and then problems develop in the other, patients are subject to a lifelong reliance on hormone medications.
Gennady Bratslavsky, MD
Bratslavsky says removing just a portion of the gland containing the tumor is a valid option for patients with a type of hereditary tumor called pheochromocytoma, since the likelihood of developing tumors in the other gland is high with this condition. In a partial adrenalectomy, the healthy portion of the gland is left behind to continue functioning. A study he co-authored found that 80 percent of patients with hereditary pheochromocytoma developed tumors in both adrenal glands. It was published in the American Urological Association’s Urology Practice journal in November, the same month that Upstate hosted an international conference on the condition. A woman from Pompey with a recent diagnosis of pheochromocytoma found a surgeon in Rochester who was prepared to remove one of her adrenal glands. She was doing research and learned about the conference. She attended and learned of the less invasive option. Her tumor presented a surgical challenge, located in the center of the gland and close to the vena cava. Bratslavsky operated in a minimally invasive manner using robotic assistance, and the patient went home from the hospital within 48 hours. Subsequent imaging scans show a healthylooking gland, with no hint of the tumor that used to exist within. The woman now lives a normal life. Reach Upstate’s department of urology by calling 315-464-4473. ■
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