Phaeochromocytoma
Who to test, why plasma free metanephrines come before any scan, the drugs that cause false positives and crises, alpha-blockade before beta-blockade and surgery, genetic testing for everyone, and follow-up for life.
Tier 2Condition
Written with AI assistance and fact-checked against the sources below. For exam study, not clinical decisions. How notes are made
At a glance
- Catecholamine-secreting tumours of the adrenal medulla (phaeochromocytoma) or sympathetic and parasympathetic paraganglia (paraganglioma). Together, PPGL.
- Rare (under 0.5% of people with hypertension) but found in about 5% of adrenal incidentalomas.
- Test with plasma free metanephrines before any scan. A normal result effectively excludes a secreting tumour.
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Sources
- Pheochromocytoma and paraganglioma: an Endocrine Society clinical practice guidelineEndocrine Society (Lenders JW, et al.; J Clin Endocrinol Metab 2014;99:1915-42), 2014
- European Society of Endocrinology clinical practice guideline for long-term follow-up of patients operated on for a phaeochromocytoma or a paragangliomaEuropean Journal of Endocrinology (Plouin PF, et al.; 174:G1-G10), 2016
- Efficacy of alpha-blockers on hemodynamic control during pheochromocytoma resection: a randomized controlled trial (PRESCRIPT)Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism (Buitenwerf E, et al.; 105:dgz188), 2020
- Phenoxybenzamine PBS listing (restricted benefit, phaeochromocytoma)AU/NZPharmaceutical Benefits Scheme
- Endocrinology (Therapeutic Guidelines)AU/NZTherapeutic Guidelines Ltd
- Last updated
- 14 November 2026
What changed
- 14 November 2026 Turnstile bot check on sign-in and signed-out feedback