Approach to the paediatric patient with suspected pheochromocytoma or paraganglioma versus neuroblastoma

A Emile J Hendriks; Charlotte Burns; Ben Fleming; Ines Harper; Elizabeth Hook; Ruth Armstrong; Christina Pamporaki; Graeme Eisenhofer; Matthew J Murray; Ruth T Casey

doi:10.1210/clinem/dgae603

Approach to the paediatric patient with suspected pheochromocytoma or paraganglioma versus neuroblastoma

J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2024 Aug 31:dgae603. doi: 10.1210/clinem/dgae603. Online ahead of print.

Authors

A Emile J Hendriks¹, Charlotte Burns², Ben Fleming³, Ines Harper⁴, Elizabeth Hook⁵, Ruth Armstrong⁶, Christina Pamporaki⁷, Graeme Eisenhofer⁷, Matthew J Murray^{2

8}, Ruth T Casey^{9

10}

Affiliations

¹ Department of Paediatric Endocrinology, Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Cambridge, UK & Department of Paediatrics, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK.
² Department of Paediatric Haematology and Oncology, Cambridge University Hospital, Cambridge, UK.
³ Department of Radiology, Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Cambridge, UK.
⁴ Department of Nuclear Medicine, Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Cambridge, UK.
⁵ Department of Histopathology, Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Cambridge, UK.
⁶ Department of Medical Genetics, Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Cambridge, UK.
⁷ Department of Internal Medicine III, University Hospital Carl Gustav Carus, Technische Universität Dresden, 01307 Dresden, Germany.
⁸ Department of Pathology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK.
⁹ Department of Endocrinology, Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Cambridge, UK.
¹⁰ Department of Medical Genetics, Cambridge University, Cambridge, UK.

PMID: 39215571
DOI: 10.1210/clinem/dgae603

Abstract

Catecholamine producing tumours of childhood include neuroblastic tumours, phaeochromocytoma and paraganglioma (PPGL). PPGL and neuroblastic tumours can arise in similar anatomical locations and clinical presentations can overlap resulting in diagnostic challenges. Distinguishing between these tumour types is critical as management and long-term surveillance strategies differ depending on the diagnosis. Herein we describe two clinical cases and illustrate key considerations in the diagnostic work up of a neuroblastoma versus PPGL for patients presenting with adrenal, pelvic, and retroperitoneal masses in childhood.

Keywords: Phaeochromocytoma; neuroblastic tumours; neuroblastoma; paraganglioma.

© The Author(s) 2024. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Endocrine Society. All rights reserved. For commercial re-use, please contact [email protected] for reprints and translation rights for reprints. All other permissions can be obtained through our RightsLink service via the Permissions link on the article page on our site—for further information please contact [email protected]. See the journal About page for additional terms.