Catecholamines - Ronny Allan - Living with Neuroendocrine Cancer

Tag: Catecholamines

Catecholamines are hormones made by your adrenal glands, which are located on top of your kidneys. Examples include dopamine; norepinephrine; and epinephrine (this used to be called adrenalin or adrenaline). Your adrenal glands send catecholamines into your blood when you’re physically or emotionally stressed.

14Dec 2016 by Ronny Allan 4 Comments

Neuroendocrine Tumours: a spotlight on Pheochromocytoma and Paraganglioma

A spotlight on NENs - Types, Awareness, Patient Advocacy, Spotlight on NENs - Types Series

Updated 6th August 2023I spend a lot of time talking about the most common forms of Neuroendocrine Tumours (NETs), but what about the less well-known types? As part of my commitment to all types of NETs, I'd like to shine a light on two less common tumour types known as Pheochromocytomas and Paragangliomas - with an incidence rate of approximately 8 per million per year. They are normally grouped together, and the definitions below will confirm why. If you think it's difficult to diagnose a mainstream NET, this particular sub-type is a real challenge.So, let's get definitions out of the way:Pheochromocytomas (Pheo for short)Pheochromocytomas are tumours of the adrenal gland that produce excess adrenaline. They arise from the central portion of the adrenal gland, which is called the adrenal medulla…

05Dec 2016 by Ronny Allan 6 Comments

Neuroendocrine – don’t let it be a Crisis

Awareness, Living with Neuroendocrine Cancer, Patient Advocacy, Treatment

Update 15th November 2021. A study presented at NANETS 2021 produced data to suggest the causes and treatment for carcinoid crisis have been wrong and that a new model is required. Read the article here or by clicking on the picture.Author's note: This is probably a controversial conclusion in some circles and it's worth pointing out that so-called 'carcinoid crisis' isn't going away, just the need for time-consuming and expensive, and apparently ineffective according to the study, perioperative protection. And the study also noted that medication to treat complications was still required. I don't believe we should immediately dismiss this conclusion as one of the authors is a 'big hitter' NET Specialist surgeon (Dr Rodney Pommier) whose job is to keep patients safe on the operating table. The original article…

28Sep 2016 by Ronny Allan 23 Comments

Neuroendocrine Cancer – tumour markers and hormone levels

A Spotlight on NENs - Testing Series, Patient Advocacy

BackgroundSome people on hear the terms "tumour markers" and "hormone levels" when they are diagnosed with Neuroendocrine Cancer. Most of them will have had a form of medical testing at some point in their life, i.e. the sampling and testing of blood, urine, saliva, stool or body tissue. In a nutshell, the medical staff are just measuring the content of a 'substance' and then taking a view whether this is normal or not based on pre-determined ranges. These tests are normally done as a physician's reaction to symptom presentation or maintenance/surveillance of an existing diagnosed condition. Sometimes, abnormal results will lead to more specialist tests.In cancer, these tests are frequently called 'markers'. Most tumour markers are made by normal cells as well as by cancer cells; however, they are produced at…

02Aug 2016 by Ronny Allan 4 Comments

Neuroendocrine Cancer Nutrition Series Part 4 – Amines: Food for Thought?

Diet and Nutrition, Living with Neuroendocrine Cancer, Patient Advocacy, Survivorship

Neuroendocrine Cancer Nutrition Series Part 4 – Amines: Food for Thought?Reviewed and updated 11th July 2023BackgroundNutrition is an important subject for many cancers, but it can be particularly important for many Neuroendocrine Cancer patients. When I started writing my nutrition series (listed below), I said that my intention is not to tell you what to eat, even though that might be a challenge for many, and this theme continues. The issue with Nutrition and Diet, in general, is that it's very individual and what works for one may not work for another. Often the the best diet for you is the one that works for you. I like to focus on why such things might have an effect - patients can then experiment and see what works for them. Sometimes…

16Oct 2014 by Ronny Allan 14 Comments

Neuroendocrine Cancer – Horrible Hormones

Patient Advocacy

Hormonal imbalances are quite common in many conditions including day to day stuff. With Neuroendocrine Cancer, it can be a real challenge both at diagnostic and maintenance phases. In addition to the cancer angle, there's some strange stuff going on, inexplicable, frightening for the patient, an unwanted ingredient causing chaos!Until I was diagnosed with metastatic Neuroendocrine Cancer, I didn't have a clue about hormones - it's one of those things you just take for granted. However, hormones are vital to human health (male and female) and it's only when things go wrong you suddenly appreciate how important they are. Hormones are involved in many conditions, not just an issue with Neuroendocrine Tumours (NETs) but the presence of over-secreting hormones (often called peptides throughout) is useful to aid a diagnosis, albeit…