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Multicenter Pheochromocytoma and Paraganglioma Evaluation

Not Applicable
Recruiting
Conditions
Paraganglioma
Pheochromocytoma
Interventions
Other: Contact by clinical center
Registration Number
NCT03344016
Lead Sponsor
Felix Beuschlein
Brief Summary

Target population:

Patients with (1) newly diagnosed or (2) past history of pheochromocytomas and paragangliomas (PPGL) or (3) carrier of genetic mutations in known PPGL susceptibility genes.

International multicenter prospective cohort study with randomized intervention (special care follow-up vs. standard care follow-up).

All patients will receive instructions about follow-up at the time point of study inclusion. Patients randomized to the standard care follow-up group will be advised to return annually for follow-up according to current routine practice (without active re-scheduling). In contrast, patients randomized to the special care follow-up group will also be advised to return annually for follow-up but these patients will be actively invited, re-scheduled and reminded by the centers to meet scheduled follow-up appointments.

Detailed Description

The long-term goal of the research planned under this protocol is to reduce morbidity and mortality of patients with PPGLs by improving approaches for management, follow-up and therapy of affected patients. As a first step towards attaining this goal, the primary objective of this protocol is to investigate whether standardized follow-up results in improved long-term outcome in terms of less morbidity and mortality as compared. The central hypothesis is that pro-active, structured and periodic disease screening and management of patients at risk for developing PPGLs and other neoplasms can lead to earlier detection of tumors and reduce adverse outcomes associated with cardiovascular, metabolic and oncologic complications of the tumors than standard care follow-up. The underlying rationale is that establishing improved outcomes for patients at risk for PPGLs will enable evidence-based recommendations for disease follow-up and management, thereby establishing wider acceptance and use of outlined practices with ensuing improvements in the health and quality of life of affected patients and their families.

In addition to the primary objective directed at establishing whether standardized and structured follow-up of patients with an increased risk for new events of PPGL (recurrent tumor, new tumor, or metastases) will result in improved longterm outcome, this protocol will enable several secondary objectives to be addressed using clinical (e.g. age, mode of presentation), biochemical, metabolic and genetic characteristics. These include:

1. to identify prognostic markers of disease progression

2. to assess whether clinical presentation, cardiovascular, metabolic and biochemical phenotype, genetic background and tumor characteristics (location, size, recurrence, pathology) are useful for development of personalized follow-up strategies.

3. to investigate whether standardized follow-up affects quality of life

Recruitment & Eligibility

Status
RECRUITING
Sex
All
Target Recruitment
1148
Inclusion Criteria

male and female patients (≥ 5 years of age), who fulfill one or more of the following criteria: (i) Patients with a newly diagnosed PPGL. (ii) Patients with a previous history of PPGLs. (iii) Carrier of genetic mutations known to predispose for the development of PPGLs.

All subjects must have read, understood and signed the informed consent form, before inclusion into the study protocol. Signed parental consent must be obtained for children with suspected PPGLs who are enrolled in the study.

Exclusion Criteria
  • Patients with impaired mental capacity that precludes informed consent.
  • Pregnancy does not constitute criteria for exclusion from the protocol. However, in pregnant women no Clonidine testing, no PET scanning, MIBG scanning or contrast CT will be performed.
  • Patients at risk from injury from the MRI magnet due to implantable metal or who suffer from anxiety in enclosed spaces are excluded from MRI.

Study & Design

Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Study Design
PARALLEL
Arm && Interventions
GroupInterventionDescription
Special care follow-up groupContact by clinical centerIn addition to the information leaflet patients will be actively contacted by the clinical center to increase the likelihood that patients meet recommended follow-up schedules.
Primary Outcome Measures
NameTimeMethod
Morbidity18 years

to investigate whether standardized follow-up for patients at risk for PPGL improves long-term outcome

Secondary Outcome Measures
NameTimeMethod
Blood pressure profiles18 years

Measurement of 24h blood pressure and ambulatory blood pressure measurments

Cardiac function18 years

Leftventricualr ejection fraction

Time to recurrence18 years

Time to recurrence

Numbers of metastases18 years

Numbers of metastases

Metabolic parameter - blood glucose18 years

fasting blood glucose

Disease specific mortality18 years

Disease specific mortality

Size of recurrent tumors18 years

Size of recurrent tumors

Biomarker indices of disease burden18 years

Surrogate biomarker indices of disease burden (such as hormonal measures)

Metabolic parameter - HbA1c18 years

Hb1Ac

Overall mortality18 years

Overall mortality

Metabolic parameter - cholesterol18 years

fasting cholesterol (total, LDL, HDL)

Hormonal parameters18 years

hormonal profiles including metanephrines, normetanephrines and metoxytyramine (that will allow for sub-group specification of PPGLs)

Trial Locations

Locations (1)

University Hospital Zurich

🇨🇭

Zurich, Switzerland

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