Carotid body tumor (chemodectoma): Clinicopathologic analysis of ninety cases

The clinicopathologic findings in ninety cases of carotid body tumors seen at the Mayo Clinic from 1931 through 1966 are compared with those in 500 reported cases in the literature. In the ninety cases reviewed here, there were sixty-two men and twenty-eight women. In twenty cases surgery had been performed elsewhere; seventy patients were operated on here, with total excision in forty-nine, including one patient with bilateral tumors. The over-all surgical mortality rate was 5.7 per cent, usually related to carotid arterial damage or ligation. There were no tumor recurrences, although cervical node metastasis was noted in one patient and spinal metastasis in another. A classification was suggested for future surgical cases. Group 1 tumors are relatively small and minimally attached to the carotid vessels. Surgical excision usually can be carried out without difficulty. Group 2 tumors are usually larger and show moderate arterial attachment. These tumors are amenable to careful surgical removal. Group 3 tumors are usually large and incarcerate the carotids. Here the tumor must be approached with great care and vessel replacement should be considered.