The Pheochromocytoma and paraganglioma RESearch Support ORganization (PRESSOR) consists of a consortium of health science professionals at scientific, medical and academic institutions around the world dedicated to research into improved diagnosis, localization, management and treatment of pheochromocytoma and paragangliomas, particularly malignant pheochromocytoma and paragangliomas. The purpose of the organization is to promote research and facilitate collaboration and the sharing of materials, information and expertise among investigators, scientists and clinicians interested in pheochromocytomas, paragangliomas, and other related tumors. The organization will promote improved understanding and research into these tumors, co-ordinate clinical and scientific meetings to develop best practice in their care and management, promote and disseminate scholarship, interest and information, and act as a forum for patient information and the promotion of clinical trials and training.

By providing a support network, PRESSOR enables a concerted and coordinated approach to basic and clinical research about pheochromocytoma that should lead to improved understanding of the biology of the tumor and more rapid advances in diagnosis, localization and management of pheochromocytoma and treatments for patients with malignancies.

 

WHAT ARE PHEOCHROMOCYTOMAS?

Pheochromocytomas are catecholamine producing tumors of chromaffin cells in the adrenal gland, that can occur sporadically or as part of a familial syndrome. Pheochromocytomas can also arise from tissues outside the adrenal glands, in which case they are also referred to as paragangliomas. Ten to 15 % of patients with these tumors develop malignant disease, which has an overall 5-year survival rate of 50%. There are currently no effective treatments for malignant pheochromocytoma, nor reliable pathological methods for distinguishing a benign from a malignant tumor or assessing potential for malignancy. The rarity of pheochromocytoma and the resulting fragmented nature of studies, typically involving small numbers of patients, represent limiting factors to the development of effective treatments and diagnostic or prognostic markers for malignant disease. Such development can be facilitated by the availability of new genomics- and proteomics-based tools, but this ideally requires comprehensive clinical studies involving large numbers of patients, stringently collected clinical data, tumor and blood samples, and interdisciplinary collaborations among multiple specialist centers.

Second International Symposium on Pheochromocytoma - ISP2008
Cambridge - September 17-20