Malignant carotid body tumor (CBT) is a rare head-and-neck paraganglioma in which malignancy is defined by the presence of regional or distant metastasis and is more commonly associated with succinate dehydrogenase gene mutations. We report the case of a 38-year-old male who presented with a progressively enlarging, painful swelling on the left side of the neck for 5 months. An examination revealed a pulsatile 7 cm × 6 cm mass with restricted mobility and mild deviation of the angle of the mouth. Computed tomography angiography showed a left CBT encasing the internal and external carotid arteries, consistent with Shamblin type III. The patient underwent transcervical excision with en bloc resection of the involved carotid segment and common to internal carotid artery interposition graft reconstruction. The postoperative period was uneventful except for hoarseness of voice. Histopathology and immunohistochemistry confirmed malignant carotid body paraganglioma.
Sritharan et al. (Thu,) studied this question.