The term pheochromocytoma (in Greek, phios means
dusky, chroma means color, and cytoma means
tumor) refers to the color of the tumor cells acquired
when stained with chromium salts. Roux performed
the first surgical resection of a pheochromocytoma in
Lausanne, Switzerland in 1926. Later the same year,
Charles Mayo performed the first surgical resection
in the United States1-2.