(UroToday.com) Von Hippel-Lindau (VHL) syndrome is a rare, inherited disorder that causes tumors and cysts to grow in various parts of the body. Patients with VHL syndrome have an increased risk of certain types of cancer, especially kidney cancer and pancreatic cancer. The signs and symptoms of von Hippel-Lindau syndrome usually do not appear until young adulthood. Some of the manifestations of VHL include: