Featured This Week: Modern Imaging

There has been growing discussion regarding the most effective way to image neuroendocrine tumors, including pheos and paras, which culminated with an announcement on June 1st that the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved the use of Netspot. Netspot is a kit designed to deliver a single dose of radioactive diagnostic agent Ga-68 DOTA-TATE to patients via injection during positron emission tomography (PET) imaging.

Dr. Jorge Carasquillo spoke to attendees at the Pheochromocytoma and Paraganglioma 2015 International Conference about imaging techniques in his presentation on Modern Imaging. Dr. Carasquillo’s illuminating talk presented ample evidence for the superiority of PET imaging used in conjunction with Ga-68 DOTA-compounds when looking for pheochromocytomas and paragangliomas.

We’d like to append a special note to radiologists and patients reading this: Because of the great value of these scans to patients, we are currently in the process of compiling a global list of facilities which offer Ga-68 DOTA PET imaging. We are very interested in hearing from providers who offer them, and also from patients who have received them. Please contact us with the details, and be sure to leave information on how we can reach you for more information.

This video is hosted by the Pheo Para Troopers, who also organized the conference from which it was taken. The Pheo Para Troopers is the largest patient-centered organization dealing exclusively with pheochromocytoma and paraganglioma, and is a wonderful resource for both patients and healthcare professionals.

The videos for the conference are exclusively supported by the Firefox browser.

Featured This Week: What Every Primary Doctor Needs to Know About Pheochromocytoma and Paraganglioma

If we had to list posts we’d like to see spread far and wide, Dr. Ruban Dhaliwal’s November presentation at the Pheochromocytoma and Paraganglioma 2015 International Conference would be one of our top picks. Primary care physicians are usually the first to encounter the symptoms of these tumors, and What Every Primary Doctor Needs to Know About Pheochromocytoma and Paraganglioma provides good basic information on what to look for, how to properly conduct testing, and when to pull in colleagues from specialized areas of practice.

As with all the links we will be posting, we encourage any patients reading this to share with their doctors. If you’re a medical professional, we hope that you will take the time to listen to the presentations and view the slides.

Please note: the videos for the conference are supported by the Firefox browser.

Thanks to the Pheo Para Troopers for their kind permission to re-post links to their videos from the conference.

Featured This Week: Pediatric Management of Pheochromocytoma

Since the NIH’s recent study linking pediatric pheochromocytoma to ADHD is getting a lot of buzz, we decided to kick off the first installment of our new miniseries “Featured This Week” with Dr. Jonathan Riddell’s discussion on Pediatric Management of Pheochromocytoma. Dr. Riddell was one of the speakers at the Pheochromocytoma and Paraganglioma 2015 International Conference, held at Upstate University in Syracuse, NY in November, 2015.

We’d like to again offer many thanks to the Pheo Para Troopers for putting together such an amazingly informative event for patients, and for their kind permission to re-post links to their videos from the conference.

One final technical note: the videos for the conference are supported by the Firefox browser.

Call for Submissions: NET Cancer Day 2016

The Pheo Para Project is officially calling for a new round of user submissions from patients as we look forward to producing our second annual NET Cancer Day PSA.

Last year, we saw a narrative of frustration and misdiagnosis unfold in the stories we received. This year, we would like to hear from patients, organizations and medical professionals on how we can change that narrative going forward. Though videos of about five minutes in length are optimum, we will accept submissions of any length. Once recorded, material can be uploaded to our Google Drive folder. If this method doesn’t work for you, contact us, and we will work with you to find a solution.

In the past, patients have asked for some ideas regarding talking points. We suggest you use the following questions as a loose framework to guide you as you tell your stories:

What was your path to diagnosis?
What were your symptoms?
How long have you been aware of your diagnosis?
Are any other family members affected?
How many tumors do you have?
Do you have a known mutation and, if so, which one?
Why are you making this video?
Looking forward, how can we change the narrative for patients like you?

Materials received by September 30, 2016 will be used for the PSA we release. Submissions received after September 30 will be considered and promoted by us through our YouTube Channel, but inclusion in the NET Cancer Day PSA is not guaranteed.

NET Cancer Day is November 10, 2016.

You can view our past PSAs, as well as individual patient stories, by visiting our YouTube Channel.

PSA Remix: Rare Disease Day 2016

In honor of #RareDiseaseDay, the Pheo Para Project has remixed the PSA we produced and distributed in late 2015 for NET Cancer Day. Like its predecessor, it is intended to serve as a point of focus for those with pheochromocytomas and paragangliomas during this time when similar conditions are in the spotlight.

As we note in the video, roughly one in ten Americans today is currently diagnosed with a rare disease. The chances are very good that each of you reading this knows at least one person with such a diagnosis.

Those with rare diseases struggle with both obtaining that diagnosis, and with finding treatment options. Symptoms of rare diseases make them easy to mistake for other, more common conditions. Once diagnosed, many patients find they have limited treatment options, because research into rare diseases isn’t funded at the same levels as research into diseases currently thought to be more common.

Today, on the rarest of days, we want you to hear the voices of those diagnosed with rare diseases. Please, when you make the choice this year to make a charitable contribution, consider funding research into rare diseases.

Today

Today is NET Cancer Day. Throughout social media today, you’ll see lots of zebras, and lots of stories of delayed diagnosis. Unfortunately, regardless of the type, neuroendocrine cancers tend to by asymptomatic, or to cause symptoms which are easily confused for more common health conditions.

To learn more, visit our Resources page for some links to pheo/para- and NET-related sites. If you see a friend posting a zebra image today, take the time to learn his or her story, and re-post to show your support. On Twitter, look for the hashtages #netcancerday or #netcancerawareness.

And remember, visit The Pheo Para Project YouTube Channel to see our collection of videos highlighting the stories of some of our friends who have been diagnosed with pheochromocytomas and/or paragangliomas.

Our YouTube Channel

You can find the short, PSA-style video we made for NET Cancer Day, as well as individual stories, on our YouTube Channel:

The Pheo Para Project

Individual stories will be up by November 10. If you’d like to see your story included on our channel, contact us!

NET Cancer Day

November 10 is NET Cancer Day. Our first project, a brief informational video designed to increase public awareness of pheos, paras, and the symptoms they cause, will be live on our YouTube channel that day. In addition, each participant’s complete individual story will be available for viewing.

Many heartfelt thanks to our brave contributors, who took a big step to help everyone dealing with pheos and paras by telling their stories publicly. This project wouldn’t exist without their participation. If you’d like to contribute going forward, please contact us and let us know. Our email address is pheo para project (no spaces) at gmail dot com.