[Hippel-Lindau disease]

Hippel-Lindau disease is one of inherited tumour susceptibility syndromes. The most common lesions are located in central nervous system, retina and visceral organs. In Poland the disease was rarely diagnosed although the prevalence is much higher than it was supposed and is estimated as 1: 30-50,000. It is inherited in an autosomal dominant manner with age related penetrance reaching almost 98% penetrance at the age of 60 and variable expression. The VHL gene is located near the tip of the short arm of chromosome 3 (3p25-26). Classical lesions in VHL patients are: haemangioblastomas of CNS, retina, cysts and clear cell carcinoma of kidney, cysts and tumours of pancreas, phaeochromocytoma and paraganglioma, papillary cystadenoma of epididymis and endolymphatic sac tumours. Multifocal, often bilateral lesions in form of benign cysts, vascular tumours or carcinomas occur. Management of the lesions often differs from that in sporadic cases of the tumours. Non-symptomatic lesions of CNS need no treatment, neither do non-symptomatic tumours of epididymis and some of phaeochromocytomas. Kidney carcinoma is treated when it reaches a certain size preferably by nephron-sparing surgery. Special care should be provided to pregnant VHL patients. Available DNA testing enables to identify VHL carriers. Although the mean age of death in VHL patients is 41 at the moment a proper prophylactic, diagnostic and treatment management can probably prolong survival of the patients and limit complications of the disease. The coordination between genetic consultants and clinicians is crucial in the management of the patients. The authors coordinate work of Polish VHL Registry and Polish VHL Association.