Soft tissue metastasis of a chemodectoma. A case report and review of the literature

Abstract

A case of a single soft tissue metastases (abdominal wall) occurring 15 years after removal of chemodectoma of the right carotid bifurcation is described. The tumor had apparently been completely removed with excision of portions of the common, external and internal carotid arteries up to the base of the skull. Seven years later osteolytic and osteoblastic lesions were noted in the cervical and thoracic vertebrae which were radiated with 3500 rad. The 19 previously reported cases of chemodectomas with distant metastases are reviewed.

Canine paraganglioma: a case report

“…Without more confirmatory data it is difficult to assume that the vertebral column is a preferred bony site of paraganglioma in the dog. However, in a literature review of 20 cases of paraganglioma in man, mostly of carotid body origin, the vertebrae were involved in eight (40 per cent) of the cases, suggesting a preferential site for the vertebral column (Rangwala, Sylvia & Becker, 1978). The presence of a valveless network of vertebral veins that communicates with the intercostal and lumbar veins, in contrast to the lack of such vascular patterns in the other bones, may explain this type of biologic behaviour.…”

“…in cases of paraganglioma, prognosis cannot be based on results of histologic examination of surgical biopsy specimens. The lymph nodes and lungs are the most common sites of metastasis in cases of paraganglioma, both in the dog and man (Glenner & Grimley, 1974;Patnaik et al, 1975;Rangwala. Sylvia & Becker, 1978).…”

“…These findings differ from those of other investigators who report metastasis to be uncommon (Richards & Mawdesley-Thomas, 1969) or under 22 per cent (Johnson, 1968;Hayes & Fraumeni, 1974;Dean & Strafuss, 1975). In man, the rate of metastasis varies according to the sites of origin (Staats, Brown & Smith, 1966;Rangwala, Sylvia & Becker, 1978;Lack, Cubilla & Woodruff, 1979). Paragangliomas of sites other than aortic and carotid bodies have been reported very rarely in the dog.…”

Late outcome after surgical management of carotid body tumors from a 20-year single-center experience

“…In these tumors, malignancy cannot be determined by histologic criteria, but only by the presence of lymph nodes or distant metastases [4][5][6][7][8]. The metastatic rate is estimated approximately 5% in the literature [9][10][11][12]. About 5% is also the incidence of bilaterality, but this rate is much higher in familial tumors [13][14][15].…”

Glomus tumour in a child

“…Although they can be seen in a variety of head and neck locations, most are found on the carotid body, the vagus nerve or in the jugulotympanic region (the branchiometric paraganglia) 2 . Glomus tumours are benign, although metastasis may occur in 2–5% (less commonly in carotid glomus tumours) to bone, liver, lung, lymph nodes, or spleen 1–5 . The mean age at diagnosis of carotid body tumours is 44.7 years 6 .…”