title: [Biological diagnosis of pheochromocytomas and paragangliomas].
abstract: Pheochromocytomas and/or paragangliomas are rare, heterogeneous tumors of the chromaffin cells. Thirty percent of the patients presented with these diseases in a hereditary context. The biological diagnosis relies on the identification of excessive secretion of the metanephrines which are more sensitive and specific than those of catecholamines The published recommendations give the opportunity to choose between the free metanephrines and the fractionated metanephrines in sera or urines. The concentrations of the free plasmatic metanephrines reflect the ongoing production of tumor. They are little sensitive to the renal failure. The assay of the vanillylmandelic acid should be dropped because of its inefficiency. The assay of the chromogranin A in serum should be used in association with those of metanephrines in the diagnosis but also in the follow-up. Its role still has to be precised.
authors.affiliation: Université de Lille II, F-59000 Lille, France. m-dherbomez@chru-lille.fr
authors.forename: Michèle
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: d'Herbomez
authors.forename: Nathalie
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Rouaix
authors.forename: Catherine
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Bauters
authors.forename: Jean-Louis
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Wémeau
mesh_terms: D000310:Adrenal Gland Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000378:metabolism*; D002395:Catecholamines / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology; D053379:Chromogranin A / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology; D004347:Drug Interactions; D006801:Humans; D008403:Mass Screening / Q000379:methods; D008676:Metanephrine / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology; D010235:Paraganglioma / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000378:metabolism*; D018579:Patient Selection; D010673:Pheochromocytoma / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000378:metabolism*; D017410:Practice Guidelines as Topic; D035583:Rare Diseases; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D014642:Vanilmandelic Acid / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D002395:Catecholamines; D053379:Chromogranin A; D008676:Metanephrine; D014642:Vanilmandelic Acid