September 2026 Research Update

This month added a clearer picture that radiation therapy can keep non-metastatic head and neck paragangliomas under control for many adults, with most tumors staying stable or shrinking and serious side effects not reported. The results looked consistently strong across different radiation approaches, although the study was not designed to directly compare them. This matters because radiation is one of the treatment options for these tumors, alongside surgery. [1]

In a single-institution review of 52 adults (54 tumors), local tumor control was reported as 98%, and 53 of 54 tumors were stable or partly regressed on imaging. The center tended to use proton therapy for larger or more complex tumors, while stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) and IMRT also had excellent control in this series. This helps explain why different patients may be offered different radiation techniques even when the goal is the same: long-term tumor control. [1]

Side effects were mostly described as mild (grade I to II), and the study reported no grade 3 to 5 toxicities. Some patients had cranial nerve problems noted in follow-up, with late toxicities mostly mild, but the report did not frame these findings as a head-to-head comparison between modalities. For patients, this adds reassurance about the overall safety profile reported in this setting, while also underscoring that nerve-related symptoms can still be part of the care journey. [1]

For patients and caregivers, this mainly adds real-world evidence that radiation is commonly used for head and neck paragangliomas and can be linked with very high tumor control and mostly mild side effects in one center's experience. It does not prove that one radiation method is better than another, because patients were not randomly assigned and tumor complexity differed. What is still uncertain is how these results compare across hospitals and over longer follow-up, especially for specific tumor locations like the glomus jugulare. [1]

This month included an early, single-patient signal that Lu-177 DOTATATE PRRT (a targeted radioactive treatment given through the bloodstream) may help slow growth of an inoperable glomus jugulare paraganglioma and ease some symptoms. The reported pattern was stability rather than tumor shrinkage, along with improvement in specific day-to-day symptoms. Because it is one case, it cannot tell how often this happens, but it does show what this option can look like in practice for someone who cannot have surgery. [2]

In the reported 15-year-old girl with hereditary disease, four cycles of Lu-177 DOTATATE were followed by stable findings on molecular imaging at 12 months and stable MRI imaging at 15 months. The report also described improved headaches and double vision, while voice symptoms did not change. This matters to families because it connects scan results with real symptoms, which is often the main concern in daily life. [2]

For patients, this is mainly early evidence showing that PRRT can be used for an unresectable glomus jugulare tumor when the tumor shows uptake on a DOTATATE scan (meaning it has the target for this therapy). It does not establish how well PRRT works in general or how safe it is, because side effects were not reported and the experience was from one patient. What it helps clarify now is the kind of outcome that may be possible (stable scans and selective symptom improvement), while larger studies are still needed to know who benefits most. [2]