Home » What are Neuroendocrine Cancers? » Hormonal Syndromes
Pheochromocytomas (PH) are rare NETs which start in the adrenal glands on top of the kidneys. Most produce excessive amounts of hormones resulting in symptoms such as:
The remainder have no symptoms and are often undiagnosed for many years. They mostly affect adults however can also affect children and adolescents.
Paraganglia are groups of cells found near nerve cell bundles called ganglia. These ganglia are located in the head, neck, thorax, abdomen or pelvis and are classified as either parasympathetic or sympathetic, depending on which nerves they are associated with. A tumour involving the paraganglia is known as a paraganglioma.
More than a third of patients with paraganglioma have inherited mutations.
The main treatment modalities are surgery, embolization, radiation therapy and stereotactic radiosurgery. People with these NETs may also be offered chemotherapy and peptide receptor radionuclide therapy (PRRT).