Treatment Options for Pheochromocytoma and Paraganglioma

Localized Pheochromocytoma and Paraganglioma
Inherited Pheochromocytoma
Regional Pheochromocytoma and Paraganglioma
Metastatic Pheochromocytoma and Paraganglioma
Recurrent Pheochromocytoma and Paraganglioma

A link to a list of current clinical trials is included for each treatment section. For some types or stages of cancer, there may not be any trials listed. Check with your doctor for clinical trials that are not listed here but may be right for you.

Treatment of localized benign pheochromocytoma or paraganglioma is usually surgery to completely remove the tumor. If the tumor is in the adrenal gland, the entire adrenal gland is removed.

Check for U.S. clinical trials from NCI's list of cancer clinical trials that are now accepting patients with localized benign pheochromocytoma. For more specific results, refine the search by using other search features, such as the location of the trial, the type of treatment, or the name of the drug. General information about clinical trials is available from the NCI Web site.

In patients with inherited pheochromocytoma linked to multiple endocrine neoplasia (MEN2) or von Hippel-Lindau (VHL) syndrome, tumors often form in both adrenal glands. The tumors are usually benign.

• Treatment for inherited pheochromocytoma that forms in one adrenal gland is surgery to completely remove the gland. This surgery may help patients avoid lifelong steroid hormone replacement therapy and acute adrenal insufficiency.
• Treatment for inherited pheochromocytoma that forms in both adrenal glands or later forms in the remaining adrenal gland may be surgery to remove the tumor and as little normal tissue in the adrenal cortex as possible. This surgery may help patients avoid life-long hormone replacement therapy and health problems due to the loss of hormones made by the adrenal gland.

Treatment of pheochromocytoma or paraganglioma that has spread to nearby organs or lymph nodes is surgery to completely remove the tumor. Nearby organs that the cancer has spread to, such as the kidney, liver, part of a major blood vessel, and lymph nodes, may also be removed.

Check for U.S. clinical trials from NCI's list of cancer clinical trials that are now accepting patients with regional pheochromocytoma. For more specific results, refine the search by using other search features, such as the location of the trial, the type of treatment, or the name of the drug. General information about clinical trials is available from the NCI Web site.

Treatment of metastatic pheochromocytoma or paraganglioma may include the following:

• Surgery to completely remove the cancer, including tumors that have spread to distant parts of the body.
• Palliative therapy, to relieve symptoms and improve the quality of life, including:
  • Surgery to remove as much cancer as possible.
  • Combination chemotherapy.
  • Radiation therapy with 131I-MIBG.
  • External radiation therapy to areas (such as bone) where cancer has spread and cannot be removed by surgery.
  • Embolization (treatment to block an artery that supplies blood to a tumor).
  • Ablation therapy using radiofrequency ablation or cryoablation for tumors in the liver or bone.
• A clinical trial of targeted therapy with a tyrosine kinase inhibitor.
• A clinical trial of internal radiation therapy using a new radioactive substance.

Check for U.S. clinical trials from NCI's list of cancer clinical trials that are now accepting patients with metastatic pheochromocytoma. For more specific results, refine the search by using other search features, such as the location of the trial, the type of treatment, or the name of the drug. General information about clinical trials is available from the NCI Web site.

Treatment of recurrent pheochromocytoma or paraganglioma may include the following:

• Surgery to completely remove the cancer.
• When surgery to remove the cancer is not possible, palliative therapy to relieve symptoms and improve the quality of life, including:
  • Combination chemotherapy.
  • Targeted therapy.
  • Radiation therapy using 131I-MIBG.
  • External radiation therapy to areas (such as bone) where cancer has spread and cannot be removed by surgery.
  • Ablation therapy using radiofrequency ablation or cryoablation.

Check for U.S. clinical trials from NCI's list of cancer clinical trials that are now accepting patients with recurrent pheochromocytoma. For more specific results, refine the search by using other search features, such as the location of the trial, the type of treatment, or the name of the drug. General information about clinical trials is available from the NCI Web site.