Some of the rarest, most complex, and difficult NETs are known as pheochromocytomas and paragangliomas. This is an updated version of an episode that first aired in 2021. A special thank you to Dr. Erik Mittra Chief of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging at Oregon Health and Science University for his expert assistance with this episode update. This episode update addresses some changes in treated pheos and paras. Between 2018 and 2023, there was an FDA-approved treatment on the market for unresectable, metastatic pheos and paras. This medication was called Azedra. It used similar technology to PRRT, delivering radioactive isotopes to the tumors with a synthetic analog of the hormone norepinephrine. But in 2023, the company that manufactured Azedra announced it was taking the medication off the market. This episode covers all you need to know about  pheochromocytomas and paragangliomas. 

NET Experts in this episode:

 

 

 

Bonnie Bennett
Nurse Coordinator for the Neuroendocrine Tumor program
University of Pennsylvania

 

 

 

Dr. Lauren Fishbein
Endocrinologist
UCHealth and the University of Colorado School of Medicine

 

 

 

Samantha Greenberg
Genetic Counselor and Paraganglioma Clinic Manager
Huntsman Cancer Institute 

 

 

 

Dr. Joseph Dillon
Endocrinologist
University of Iowa

 

 

 

Dr. Erik Mittra
Chief of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging
Oregon Health and Science University

 

 

 

Dr. Nancy Perrier
Head of Surgical Endocrinology
MD Anderson Cancer Center

Dr. Nancy Sharma
Medical Oncologist
Swedish Cancer Institute

Special thanks to our sponsors for their support of this episode: