The session entitled “Paraganglioma and Pheochromocytoma in Children and Adolescents”: Updates on these Strange and Rare Diseases took place as part of the 6th SIOP Europe Annual Meeting 2025. It was chaired by Nicolas Waespe (Switzerland) and Daniel Orbach (France) and organized by the EXPeRT initiative and the SIOPE Host Genome Working Group. The session included four expert presentations, followed by an interactive panel discussion with Michaela Kuhlen (Germany).
Presentations from the session
- Daniel Orbach (France): “Pheochromocytoma & Paraganglioma: Clinical Specificities in Children”
- Orbach highlighted the clinical specificities of these tumors in children and adolescents, including their symptoms, diagnosis, and treatment challenges.
- Ruth Casey (United Kingdom): “Genetics of Pheochromocytoma & Paraganglioma: Workup & Surveillance”
- Casey presented current findings on the genetic etiology of these tumors, including the importance of germline mutations and the need for targeted genetic testing and surveillance.
- Calogero Virgone (Italy): “Surgery and Perioperative Management”
- Virgone discussed surgical approaches and perioperative strategies for the treatment of PGL/PCC in children and adolescents, emphasizing the importance of careful planning and execution.
- Constantin Lapa (Germany): “Theranostic Approaches to Metastatic PPGL”
- Lapa presented theranostic approaches that combine diagnostic and therapeutic procedures to treat metastatic PGL/PCC more effectively.
Panel discussion
In the concluding discussion, the experts shared their perspectives on the topics presented and discussed future research directions and the clinical implementation of the approaches presented.
This session provided a comprehensive overview of the current challenges and advances in the treatment of paragangliomas and pheochromocytomas in children and adolescents. It underscored the importance of an interdisciplinary approach and the need for further research to improve the care of these rare tumors.