title: Surgical resection of carotid body tumors: long-term survival, recurrence, and metastasis.
abstract: We retrospectively reviewed a 20-year experience with 59 carotid body tumors in 55 patients examined at our institution in order to determine the long-term results of surgical resection, including the rates of distant metastasis, local recurrence, and long-term survival. Complete surgical excision was possible in 52 of the 55 patients (95%). Perioperative mortality was only 2% (1 of 59 procedures), and no operative deaths occurred during the last 10 years of the study. Survival of patients after resection of a carotid body tumor was equivalent to that for sex- and age-matched control subjects. Only one patient (2%) had development of metastatic disease during long-term follow-up. Three patients (6%) had recurrence of the carotid body tumor after complete excision. All recurrent tumors were observed in patients with multiple paragangliomas or a family history of cervical paragangliomas. Therefore, we advocate early surgical resection of all carotid body tumors in low-risk patients. Such early resection maximizes the possibility of cure and minimizes the risks of neurovascular complications associated with large and neglected tumors.
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN 55905.
authors.forename: J D
authors.initials: JD
authors.lastname: Nora
authors.forename: J W
authors.initials: JW
authors.lastname: Hallett
authors.forename: P C
authors.initials: PC
authors.lastname: O'Brien
authors.forename: J M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Naessens
authors.forename: K J
authors.initials: KJ
authors.lastname: Cherry
authors.forename: P C
authors.initials: PC
authors.lastname: Pairolero
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002345:Carotid Body Tumor / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007431:Intraoperative Complications / Q000209:etiology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009362:Neoplasm Metastasis; D009364:Neoplasm Recurrence, Local; D011379:Prognosis; D012189:Retrospective Studies