Paraganglioma (Glomas Tumor, Carotid Body Tumor) Radiation Therapy

A carotid body tumor (also known as a chemodectoma or paraganglioma) is a rare, benign tumor located on the side of the neck, where the carotid artery branches into smaller blood vessels to carry blood into the brain. The cluster of cells around that branching is called the carotid body (carotid glomus). These tumors can grow quickly and press on nearby nerves, blood vessels, trachea or esophagus, causing damage or obstruction.

These tumors may be treated with either surgery or radiation, depending on their size and the age and health of the patient. Pre-operative embolization of the tumor to cut off its blood supply, making the procedure easier and decreasing the amount of blood loss during surgery may be recommended.

In this patient’s case, surgery was not recommended due to the large size of this tumor and the high risk of injury (nerve damage and bleeding). Instead, the head and neck surgeons and I decided that the safest and most effective approach would be a 6-week course of volumetric arc intensity modulated radiation therapy (VMAT-IMRT). Based on the data, we can expect to stop further growth of this tumor with a greater than 95% probability.