Performance of plasma free metanephrines in diagnosis of pheochromocytomas and paragangliomas in the population of Asturias.

INTRODUCTION: Pheochromocytoma and paraganglioma are uncommon tumors whose best known symptoms include high blood pressure, palpitations, headache, and sweating. Clinical identification is not easy, however, and requires biochemical tests that allow for early diagnosis, including measurement of metanephrines levels. The aim of this study was to assess the diagnostic performance of plasma free metanephrines (PMETs) and to verify the transferability of the reference values used.

METHODS: PMETs levels were measured by liquid chromatography coupled to tandem mass spectrometry. Other biochemical tests evaluated (plasma catecholamine, urine metanephrine, catecholamine and vanilmandelic acid levels) were performed by liquid chromatography with electrochemical detection. Requests of these tests from 01/09/2015 to 31/10/2017 were reviewed, and both the reference values (document EP28-A3c) and the parameters of biological variation (Fraser method) for PMETs were estimated.

RESULTS: The study sample consisted of 1,279 patients (61.3% females) aged 0-90 years, including 19 with pheochromocytoma/paraganglioma. Tests requested included: PMETs (n=662), catecholamines (n=589), metanephrines (n=586), and vanilmandelic acid (n=513) in urine, and plasma catecholamines (n=228). Tests with higher sensitivity were urinary fractionated metanephrines (91.7%) and PMETs (82.4%). When performance was compared in patients with both tests (n=243), they detected the same number of tumors (90.9%), but PMETs showed greater specificity (93.5% vs 88.8%). Plasma normetanephrine levels showed a significant association with age (rho=0.19, P<.0001).

CONCLUSION: PMETs and urinary fractionated metanephrines are the biochemical tests with better performance in diagnosis of pheochromocytomas/paragangliomas.