# Diagnosis of Von Hippel-Lindau Syndrome Via Pancreatic Cyst Fluid Next-Generation Sequencing

**Authors:** Syedreza Haider, Jonathan Xia

PMC · DOI: 10.14309/crj.0000000000001990 · ACG Case Reports Journal · 2026-02-17

## TL;DR

A case study shows how pancreatic cyst fluid sequencing helped diagnose Von Hippel-Lindau syndrome when traditional methods failed.

## Contribution

Demonstrates the novel use of pancreatic cyst fluid NGS for diagnosing VHL syndrome.

## Key findings

- NGS of pancreatic cyst fluid identified a pathogenic VHL mutation.
- Conventional cyst fluid analysis was nondiagnostic in this case.
- The case highlights NGS as a useful tool for uncovering hereditary cancer syndromes.

## Abstract

Von Hippel-Lindau (VHL) syndrome is a rare autosomal-dominant tumor predisposition syndrome characterized by benign and malignant neoplasms across multiple organ systems. We report a case where next-generation sequencing (NGS) of pancreatic cyst fluid resulted in the first diagnostic clue to VHL. A 44-year-old woman presented with subarachnoid hemorrhage from cervical hemangioblastoma and incidental finding of multiple pancreas cysts. Endoscopic ultrasound with fine-needle aspiration was performed and standard cyst fluid analysis was nondiagnostic, but cyst fluid NGS identified a pathogenic VHL mutation. This case highlights the utility of cyst fluid NGS in uncovering hereditary cancer syndromes when conventional analyses are inconclusive.

## Linked entities

- **Genes:** VHL (von Hippel-Lindau tumor suppressor) [NCBI Gene 7428]
- **Diseases:** Von Hippel-Lindau syndrome (MONDO:0008667), subarachnoid hemorrhage (MONDO:0005099), hemangioblastoma (MONDO:0016748)

## Full-text entities

- **Genes:** CEACAM3 (CEA cell adhesion molecule 3) [NCBI Gene 1084] {aka CD66D, CEA, CGM1, CGM1a, W264, W282}, GNAS (GNAS complex locus) [NCBI Gene 2778] {aka AHO, AIMAH1, C20orf45, GNAS1, GPSA, GSA}, BRAF (B-Raf proto-oncogene, serine/threonine kinase) [NCBI Gene 673] {aka B-RAF1, B-raf, BRAF-1, BRAF1, NS7, RAFB1}, VHL (von Hippel-Lindau tumor suppressor) [NCBI Gene 7428] {aka HRCA1, RCA1, VHL1, pVHL}, KRAS (KRAS proto-oncogene, GTPase) [NCBI Gene 3845] {aka 'C-K-RAS, C-K-RAS, CFC2, K-RAS2A, K-RAS2B, K-RAS4A}, RNF43 (ring finger protein 43) [NCBI Gene 54894] {aka RNF124, SSPCS, URCC}, EPAS1 (endothelial PAS domain protein 1) [NCBI Gene 2034] {aka ECYT4, HIF2A, HLF, MOP2, PASD2, bHLHe73}
- **Diseases:** hereditary (MESH:D009386), pancreas lesions (MESH:D010190), syndromic disease (MESH:D004194), pancreas duct dilation (MESH:D021441), headache (MESH:D006261), pancreatic serous cystadenoma (MESH:D018293), pancreatic cystic lesions (MESH:D003550), IPMN (MESH:D000077779), autosomal-dominant tumor predisposition syndrome (OMIM:614327), vascular lesions (MESH:D014652), Pancreatic Cyst (MESH:D010181), benign (MESH:D009369), calcifications (MESH:D002114), complex (MESH:D048090), left renal mass (MESH:C536030), hypoxia (MESH:D000860), neuroendocrine tumors (MESH:D018358), cystic lesions (MESH:D052177), subarachnoid and intraventricular hemorrhage (MESH:D013345), hydronephrosis (MESH:D006869), mucinous (MESH:D002288), VHL disease (MESH:D006623), retinal angiomas (MESH:D012173), endolymphatic sac tumors (MESH:D036821), cervical hemangioblastoma (MESH:D018325), renal lesion (MESH:D007674), clear-cell renal cell carcinoma (MESH:D002292), venous invasion (MESH:D009361), cyst (MESH:D003560), pheochromocytomas (MESH:D010673)
- **Chemicals:** belzutifan (MESH:C000720612), glucose (MESH:D005947)
- **Species:** Homo sapiens (human, species) [taxon 9606]
- **Mutations:** p.R161fs, c.481delC

## Full text

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## Figures

3 figures with captions in the complete paper: https://tomesphere.com/paper/PMC12912079/full.md

## References

16 references — full list in the complete paper: https://tomesphere.com/paper/PMC12912079/full.md

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Source: https://tomesphere.com/paper/PMC12912079