Endocrine tumors

Overview

 * Thyroid: The prognosis is excellent for most cases of pediatric thyroid cancer, even if there is metastatic disease at diagnosis.

Pediatric thyroid tumors include benign thyroid nodules, papillary thyroid cancer, follicular thyroid cancer and medullary thyroid cancer.


 * Pituitary: Pituitary tumors are usually benign and can be either non-functioning or secrete too much hormone, which, for example, can cause gigantism or Cushing's disease.


 * Parathyroid: Tumors on these glands can cause overproduction of hormones (hyperparathyroidism).


 * Adrenal: Adrenal tumors include adrenocortical tumors and pheochromocytoma.


 * Multiple endocrine neoplasias (MEN) are inherited conditions that can cause tumors of multiple glands.


 * von Hippel Lindau syndrome (VHL) is a genetic condition that can cause blood vessel tumors of the central nervous system, kidney tumors, pancreas and kidney cysts and pheochromocytoma.