What are Pheochromocytomas and Paraganglioma’s?
Pheochromocytomas and paragangliomas are rare kind of tumours. Not all pheochromocytomas and paragangliomas are cancer.
Pheochromocytomas arise from small abdominal glands in the body known as adrenal glands. Paragangliomas arise from small cells groups known as autonomic ganglia in the body. These ganglia are spread all over the body, however are most common in abdomen and neck region.
These two types of tumours are considered to be quite similar and behave similarly in many ways.
Surgery
Patients in good health whose tumor is in only one part of the body may be treated with surgery to remove the tumor.
Radiation therapy:
Radiation therapy may be used in patients in whom tumour is localized but may not be easily operable.
MIBG Therapy
MIBG uses a radioactive substance to treat cancer that has spread to multiple parts of the body.
On injection into the patient, the PRRT agent targets the sits of the tumor and deposits radiation at the sites.
Chemotherapy
Chemotherapy is a cancer treatment that uses drugs to stop the growth of cancer cells, either by killing the cells or by stopping them from dividing. When chemotherapy is taken by mouth or injected into a vein or muscle, the drugs enter the bloodstream and can reach cancer cells throughout the body (systemic chemotherapy). Chemotherapy is generally used for inoperable / metastatic tumours.
Follow-up tests may be needed.
Some of the tests that were done to diagnose the cancer or to find out the stage of the cancer may be repeated. Some tests will be repeated in order to see how well the treatment is working. Decisions about whether to continue, change, or stop treatment may be based on the results of these tests.
Some of the tests will continue to be done from time to time after treatment has ended. The results of these tests can show if your condition has changed or if the cancer has recurred (come back). These tests are sometimes called follow-up tests or check-ups.
