J.Jpn. Surg. Soc.. 81(12): 1590-1594, 1980

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Original article

CAROTID BODY TUMOR－A CASE REPORT WITH REMARKS ON ITS SURGICAL REMOVAL

A carotid body tumor is a rare condition in Japan. We have experienced a 4l-year-old female patient, whose chief complaint was a painless tumor in the left submandibular area. The tumor was first noted 5 years previously. At operation, a highly vascularized, cuboidal tumor, 5 cm in diameter, was found just behind the carotid bifurcation and the tumor firmly adhered to the vessels. The left internal carotid artery was buried within the tumor. Otherwise, no adhesion or invasion of the tumor was noted to the adjacent structures. The macroscopic findings indicated the tumor being a carotid body tumor and the tumor was completely resected by a careful dissection through the layer between adventitia and media of the common and internal carotid arteries. After the operation, the longstanding headache and dizziness disappeared. Review of the Japanese literatures on this tumor revealed that 10 of 23 cases reported before 1960 were described as malignant. Probably a highly malignant cancer arized from other tissue might be erroneously misdiagnosed as a carotid body tumor in at least 6 of them. The surgeons should recognize that most of the carotid body tumor is a slowly growing benign neoplasm and a conservative surgical approach should be attempted by subadventitial dissection.

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