Paraganglioma: Early Signs, Risk Factors, and How It Is Treated

A pounding headache, a racing heart, a sudden sweat that has nothing to do with the weather — and then it passes. If spells like these keep coming back, or your blood pressure keeps climbing for no clear reason, it is worth asking why.

One uncommon answer is paraganglioma, a rare tumor that develops from specialized nerve-related cells found outside the adrenal glands. It may produce hormones that trigger episodes of high blood pressure, headaches, and palpitations. In other people it causes nothing at all and is found by chance during a scan done for another reason.

Overview: What paraganglioma is

Paraganglioma is a rare tumor that forms from paraganglial cells, which are part of the body’s neuroendocrine system. These cells help regulate automatic functions such as blood pressure and stress responses. Unlike pheochromocytoma, which arises in the adrenal glands, paraganglioma develops outside the adrenal glands along nerves and blood vessels in areas such as the head and neck, chest, abdomen, or pelvis.

Some paragangliomas make catecholamines, a group of stress hormones that includes adrenaline-like substances. When this happens, a person may develop episodes of headache, sweating, a rapid heartbeat, tremor, or elevated blood pressure. Other tumors do not release hormones and may only cause symptoms because of their size or location, such as a visible neck lump, hearing changes, or pressure on nearby structures.

Paragangliomas can be benign or malignant. Doctors are careful not to judge behavior from the microscope alone, because a tumor that looks quiet can still spread. That is why follow-up continues long after treatment is finished.

Early signs and symptoms

The early signs of paraganglioma vary depending on whether the tumor produces hormones and where it is located. Hormone-secreting tumors may cause sudden or repeated episodes of pounding headaches, sweating, palpitations, shakiness, anxiety-like feelings, or high blood pressure. Some people notice these spells during physical exertion, emotional stress, changes in body position, or even after certain medications.

When paraganglioma develops in the head or neck, symptoms are often related to local pressure rather than hormone release. A person may notice a slow-growing lump in the neck, hoarseness, difficulty swallowing, tinnitus, hearing loss, facial weakness, or dizziness. Tumors near the skull base may affect nearby cranial nerves and lead to more subtle neurological symptoms.

Abdominal or pelvic paragangliomas may cause abdominal discomfort, back pain, constipation, or be discovered by chance during imaging for another reason. In some cases, there are no clear warning signs at all. So if symptoms keep returning without explanation — swinging blood pressure, repeated palpitations, unexplained sweating — have a doctor look into them.

• Headaches that come in spells
• Rapid heartbeat or palpitations
• Sweating not explained by heat or exercise
• High blood pressure, especially if difficult to control
• Neck mass, hoarseness, or swallowing problems
• Hearing changes or pulsating noise in the ear

Causes and risk factors

Paraganglioma develops when neuroendocrine cells grow in an abnormal and uncontrolled way, but the exact trigger is not always known. One of the most important features of this condition is its genetic background. A substantial proportion of people with paraganglioma have an inherited susceptibility, even when there is no obvious family history.

Genes associated with paraganglioma include SDHB, SDHD, SDHC, SDHA, SDHAF2, VHL, RET, NF1, and several others. Some inherited syndromes raise the risk of paraganglioma and related tumors. Because of this, doctors may recommend genetic counseling and testing, especially if the patient is young, has multiple tumors, has a family history, or has a tumor in a higher-risk location.

Location also matters. Head and neck paragangliomas are often less likely to secrete catecholamines, while tumors in the abdomen or pelvis are more likely to cause hormone-related symptoms. Certain genetic variants, particularly SDHB-related disease, may be linked with a higher chance of metastatic behavior. For patients and families, understanding these risk factors helps guide screening, treatment planning, and follow-up.

Paraganglioma sits within the wider family of neuroendocrine tumors. Depending on where your tumor started and whether it makes hormones, your doctor may weigh it against other neuroendocrine tumors or separate it from pheochromocytoma.

How paraganglioma is diagnosed

Diagnosis usually begins with a careful history and physical examination. The doctor asks about episodes of headache, sweating, palpitations, blood pressure changes, and symptoms related to the tumor’s location. Family history is also important because inherited forms are relatively common in this condition.

If a hormone-producing tumor is suspected, blood or urine tests are often used to measure metanephrines, which are breakdown products of catecholamines. These tests help detect excessive hormone release, but preparation and interpretation need care because stress, illness, and some medicines may influence the results. Doctors usually advise patients about how to prepare for testing.

Imaging is then used to identify the tumor and see whether there is more than one lesion or any spread. CT and MRI are commonly used, and some patients may benefit from functional imaging such as PET or other nuclear medicine scans. These studies help show how active the tumor is and whether it appears elsewhere in the body. Depending on the clinical picture, doctors may combine imaging with MRI scanning or PET-CT imaging as part of a tailored evaluation.

Biopsy is not routinely the first step when paraganglioma is strongly suspected, especially if the tumor may release catecholamines. Disturbing the tumor without proper preparation can be risky. For that reason, diagnosis typically relies on biochemical testing, imaging, genetics, and specialist review before any invasive procedure is considered.

Treatment options and how doctors choose among them

Treatment depends on the tumor’s location, size, hormone activity, genetic background, and whether it has spread. For many localized paragangliomas, surgery is the main treatment. Before surgery, patients with catecholamine-secreting tumors usually need careful blood pressure and heart-rate preparation with medication to reduce the risk of hormone surges during the operation.

When surgery is appropriate, the goal is to remove the tumor safely while protecting nearby nerves and blood vessels. This can be straightforward in some sites and more complex in others, especially around the skull base or major vessels in the neck. In selected cases, radiation therapy may be used instead of surgery or after surgery, particularly when preserving function is a priority or the tumor is difficult to access.

If the tumor has spread or cannot be fully removed, treatment may also include medicines to control blood pressure and symptoms, radiopharmaceutical therapy, targeted treatments, or other systemic approaches recommended by a multidisciplinary team. Supportive care remains important throughout treatment to manage symptoms and maintain quality of life. Depending on the findings, care may involve surgical tumor removal, radiation oncology, or coordinated endocrine and oncology follow-up.

No two of these tumors behave quite the same way, so your plan is built around you. Endocrinology, surgery, oncology, radiology, pathology, genetics, and anesthesiology all have something useful to say around that table.

Monitoring, prevention, and self-care

There is no guaranteed way to prevent paraganglioma, particularly when it is linked to inherited genetic changes. However, early recognition and regular follow-up can reduce complications and help detect recurrence or spread sooner. Patients who have a confirmed hereditary mutation may be advised to undergo ongoing surveillance and to discuss screening with close relatives.

After treatment, follow-up usually includes periodic blood or urine testing, imaging, and review of symptoms. The schedule depends on the original tumor type, whether it produced hormones, the surgical result, and the underlying genetics. Some people need long-term or lifelong monitoring because recurrence can happen years later.

Day to day, self-care comes down to two things: knowing your own symptoms and looking after your heart and circulation. A person with known catecholamine-secreting paraganglioma should follow medical advice closely, take prescribed medicines as directed, and report new spells of headache, palpitations, or rising blood pressure. It may also help to keep a record of blood pressure readings and symptom episodes to share with the care team.

For international patients seeking coordinated care, Acıbadem Health Point’s multidisciplinary specialists and JCI-accredited hospitals evaluate and treat paraganglioma using individualized diagnostic and treatment plans.

When to seek medical care

Medical evaluation is important if a person has repeated episodes of severe headache, sweating, palpitations, or unexplained high blood pressure, especially when these symptoms come in attacks. Care should also be sought for a new neck mass, hoarseness, swallowing difficulty, pulsating sound in the ear, or unexplained neurological symptoms.

Urgent care may be needed for severe chest pain, fainting, difficulty breathing, very high blood pressure symptoms, or sudden neurological changes. Although these symptoms can have many causes, prompt assessment helps doctors rule out serious conditions and begin appropriate treatment if paraganglioma or another disorder is present.

People with a family history of paraganglioma, pheochromocytoma, or related hereditary syndromes should discuss screening and genetic counseling with a qualified clinician. Early specialist input can be especially helpful when imaging has already found a suspicious mass or when blood pressure is difficult to control without a clear explanation.

Frequently asked questions