Follow-up care will be needed.

Some of the tests that were done to diagnose the cancer or to find out the extent of the cancer may be repeated. Some tests will be repeated to see how well the treatment is working. Decisions about whether to continue, change, or stop treatment will be based on the results of these tests.

Some of the tests will continue to be done after treatment has ended. The results of these tests can show if your condition has changed or if the cancer has recurred (come back). These tests are sometimes called follow-up tests.

For patients with pheochromocytoma or paraganglioma that causes symptoms, catecholamine levels in the blood and urine will be checked on a regular basis. Catecholamine levels that are higher than normal can be a sign that the cancer has come back.

For patients with paraganglioma that does not cause symptoms, follow-up tests, such as CT, MRI, or MIBG scan should be done every year.

For patients with inherited pheochromocytoma or paraganglioma, catecholamine levels in the blood and urine will be checked on a regular basis. Other screening tests will be done to check for other tumors that are linked to the inherited syndrome.

Talk to your doctor about which tests should be done and how often. Patients with pheochromocytoma or paraganglioma need lifelong follow-up.