[Preliminary study of chromaffinoma diagnosis by fluorescence-labelled estradiol]

It is difficult to diagnose malignant chromaffinoma among the endocrine tumors. At present, using biochemical and histochemical methods, tumors with the estrogen or nonestrogen target organs have been proved to possess estradiol receptors. In this paper, binding of steroid to active chromaffinoma was observed using synthesized 4-amino-N-fluorescent isothiocyanate-17 beta-estradiol (4 NHEF) as a probe. Benign and malignant chromaffinoma may be differentiated by the fluorescence difference. Under the same condition, the binding of fluorescence estradiol to the normal adrenal cells was weak. It was stronger in the majority of benign chromaffinoma, but was very strong in the malignant type. In a case of malignant chromaffinoma, the adrenal was excised first which was diagnosed as a benign tumor by pathological examination. But it was malignant by 4 NHEF stain. After two days, the patient's blood pressure became elevated and a second operation had to be done. Still, the tumor cells were benign by pathological examination. This chromaffinoma was finally diagnosed by fluorescence labelled estradiol which is more sensitive than pathology.