The Paraganglioma Program at the University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute offers a complete and comprehensive diagnostic and treatment program for patients who have tumors known as paragangliomas of the head and neck.

Health care resources for patients include:

• Availability of high-quality imaging studies, such as CT, MR, PET/CT and octreotide scanning
• A team of very experienced interventional neuroradiologists who work with our surgeons on imaging of paragangliomas, including angiography and balloon occlusion studies
• Excellent treatment capabilities through highly skilled surgeons experienced in removing paragangliomas and reconstructing the vocal mechanism (in cases where damage to the vocal mechanism Is unavoidable in removing the tumor)
• A capable surgical oncologist who works with us in the management of patients who have pheochromocytoma, a type of paraganglioma arising in the adrenal gland, often seen in patients with the familial form of paraganglioma or paraganglioma in sites other than the neck
• An experienced medical oncology team to search for novel treatments for patients whose paraganglioma has metastasized (spread) to other parts of the body. This team includes a neuro-oncologist with expertise in the diagnosis and treatment of neurologic problems associated with paraganglioma and systemic therapy for residual or metastatic tumor.
• Genetic testing and genetic counseling services to identify individuals at high risk for paraganglioma

Our program is particularly interested in the familial and hereditary form of paraganglioma of the head and neck.. Those persons with gene defects causing hereditary paraganglioma are identified by the presence of multiple paraganglioma tumors. Dr. Bora Baysal has cloned the gene for hereditary paraganglioma (PGL1) and our laboratory has the capabilies of performing genetic testing on patients and their families to identify those who are gene carriers (and thus at risk for hereditary paraganglioma). We can then perform imaging studies to screen patients who are gene carriers rather than all patients in the family.