A Review of Tumours of the Glomus Jugulare with Reports of Three Further Cases

Chemoreceptor Tumours in the Neck Arising away from the Carotid body

“…Complete removal of the tumour appears to have been effected in 8 cases with freedom from recurrence during follow-up periods which extend from 3 months to 17 years (Birrell, 1953;Lattes, 1950 (Case I); King, 1955; both cases of Coldwater and Dirks, 1956; both cases of Harrison et al, 1957;and Bocian and Tuschka, 1958), results which are very much better than those of attempted surgical ablation of glomus jugulare tumours (Simpson and Dallachy, 1958). In all 8 patients the tumour was within the sheath of the vagus nerve which had to be resected with the growth.…”

“…Since then, two cases have been encountered in this laboratory, one of which arose in the costovertebral sulcus. When we reviewed the literature on tumours of the glomus jugulare described between 1889 and 1956, we found 172 acceptable cases and 43 probable or possible cases (Simpson and Dallachy, 1958). Chemoreceptor Tumours in Neck…”

“…In the strands of collagen which lie between the collections of cells there are nerve fibres and capillaries. In tumours of chemoreceptor tissue the capillaries often show such profusion and dilatation that the proliferation of the cells between the capillaries is relatively inconspicuous and, indeed, in the past many tumours of the glomus jugulare in the middle ear were misdiagnosed as angiomas or angiosarcomas (Simpson and Dallachy, 1958).…”

“…We have previously reviewed reports of five patients who had a tumour of the glomus jugulare and a carotid body tumour and of two patients who had bilateral tumours of the glomus jugulare (Simpson and Dallachy, 1958). At least 10 cases of bilateral carotid body tumours have been described (James and Saleeby, 1953) in the total of the 361 cases in the literature.…”

“…In carotid body tumours local destruction is often late in occurring and slight in extent presumably because the loose soft tissues of the neck allow considerable expansion of the growth. On the other hand, tumours of the jglomus jugulare often invade and destroy the petrous temporal bone at an early stage though they may also grow outwards along the external auditory canal (Simpson and Dallachy, 1958). In one recorded tumour of the ganglion nodosum there was invasion of the bone at the base of the skull with compression of the brain stem and of cranial nerves VI-XII (Case II of Lattes, 1950).…”