• Korean Journal of Head & Neck Oncology
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• v.27 no.1
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• pp.80-83
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• 2011

Paraganglioma is a relatively rare, generally benign and slow growing tumor arising from widely distributed paraganglionic tissue thought to originate from the neural crest. In the head and neck region, paraganglionic tissue is distributed in the superior and inferior paraganglia such as the carotid body, the vagal body, and the jugulotympanic region. Approximately 10% of patients with paraganglioma have a family history of such tumors. Multiple lesions can be found in 26% of patients with family history. It is important to distinguish between paraganglioma and atypical carcinoid tumor and medullary thyroid cancer. This can be done with histopathologic evaluation and immunohistochemical markers. Complete excision is recommended for the treatment of this tumor. Paraganglioma is particularly aggressive and rapid recurrence of paraganglioma is common after local resection. We present a case of malignant paraganglioma in the neck which recurred 2 months after local resection. We suppose that radiation therpay could be the last option for the treatment in this clinical setting.

• Korean Journal of Head & Neck Oncology
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• v.36 no.2
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• pp.51-53
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• 2020

Paraganglioma is a rare benign neuroendocrine tumor arising from the paraganglia of the autonomic nervous system. Paraganglioma occurs mainly in the carotid body, jugular foramen, and vagus nerve in the head and neck region. Herein, we report a case of paraganglioma of the submandibular region that has not been reported. This case highlights paraganglioma as a rare differential diagnosis for submandibular region tumors.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.53 no.2
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• pp.86-88
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• 2020

A 39-year-old man presented to the department of emergency medicine in Seoul National University Hospital complaining of chest pain, heart palpitation, and headache. Upon arrival, a computed tomography scan showed a 7.0 cm×6.2 cm lesion with the typical features of a paraganglioma. The patient was treated with an alpha-blocker and a beta-blocker prior to surgical intervention. We removed the tumor successfully, and histopathologic findings indicated that the tumor was indeed a paraganglioma. Since intracardiac paraganglioma is a rare disease, we present this case together with a literature review.

• Journal of Yeungnam Medical Science
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• v.40 no.4
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• pp.435-441
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• 2023

Pheochromocytomas and paragangliomas (PPGLs) may secrete hormones or bioactive neuropeptides such as interleukin-6 (IL-6), which can mask the clinical manifestations of catecholamine hypersecretion. We report the case of a patient with delayed diagnosis of paraganglioma due to the development of IL-6-mediated systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS). A 58-year-old woman presented with dyspnea and flank pain accompanied by SIRS and acute cardiac, kidney, and liver injuries. A left paravertebral mass was incidentally observed on abdominal computed tomography (CT). Biochemical tests revealed increased 24-hour urinary metanephrine (2.12 mg/day), plasma norepinephrine (1,588 pg/mL), plasma normetanephrine (2.27 nmol/L), and IL-6 (16.5 pg/mL) levels. ¹⁸F-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) positron emission tomography/CT showed increased uptake of FDG in the left paravertebral mass without metastases. The patient was finally diagnosed with functional paraganglioma crisis. The precipitating factor was unclear, but phendimetrazine tartrate, a norepinephrine-dopamine release drug that the patient regularly took, might have stimulated the paraganglioma. The patient's body temperature and blood pressure were well controlled after alpha-blocker administration, and the retroperitoneal mass was surgically resected successfully. After surgery, the patient's inflammatory, cardiac, renal, and hepatic biomarkers and catecholamine levels improved. In conclusion, our report emphasizes the importance of IL-6-producing PPGLs in the differential diagnosis of SIRS.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.24 no.1
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• pp.93-97
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• 1991

A case of nonfunctioning paraganglioma of the anterior mediastinum in a 64-year-old woman is presented. The tumor was adherent to the pericardium and parietal pleura but not to the phrenic nerve. Complete excision of the tumor is the treatment of choice, but partial excision may provide long-term survival. A new classification and terminology suggested by Glenner and Grimley is emphasized. This aorticopulmonary paraganglioma is the first case in the Korea.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.47 no.2
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• pp.197-199
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• 2014

Mediastinal paragangliomas are very rare neuroendocrine tumors. Complete resection is the standard treatment of a paraganglioma because of the tumor's potential malignancy and poor response to chemo- or radiotherapy. However, the highly vascular nature of the tumor and its characteristic anatomic location make complete resection difficult. We report a case of an anterior mediastinal paraganglioma, which was incidentally found on a chest computed tomography scan for chronic cough work-up of a 55-year-old woman. Complete resection was accomplished using video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery, and the patient recovered without any complications.

• Investigative Magnetic Resonance Imaging
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• v.25 no.1
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• pp.47-52
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• 2021

Paraganglioma is a rare tumor of paraganglia, derived from neural crest cells in sympathetic or parasympathetic ganglions. It can be widely distributed from the skull base to the bottom of the pelvis. The pancreas, however, is a rare location of this neoplasm, and only a limited number of cases have been reported in the English literature, especially with gadoxetic-acid-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and diffusion-weighted images (DWI). We herein report a case of pathologically proven paraganglioma in the pancreas head with a literature review on endoscopic ultrasonography (EUS), computed tomography (CT), gadoxetic-acid-enhanced MRI, and DWI sequence.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.55 no.2
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• pp.174-176
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• 2022

Mediastinal paragangliomas are rare tumors that have only been reported in individual cases or limited case series. Surgical resection of these tumors can be challenging, as they are highly vascular and intimately related to the great vessels. Surgery is usually performed via median sternotomy with or without cardiopulmonary bypass. We present the case of a mediastinal paraganglioma that was resected via a left-sided posterolateral thoracotomy. Histopathology revealed a completely resected 38-mm paraganglioma with a positive station 5 lymph node, indicative of locally aggressive disease. Hereditary paragangliomas are associated with malignant transformation; therefore, genetic testing is important. These tumors do not respond well to chemoradiotherapy, and consequently lifelong surveillance for early detection of recurrence is recommended.

• Journal of Yeungnam Medical Science
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• v.17 no.2
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• pp.155-160
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• 2000

Paraganglioma is a tumor from the extra adrenal paraganglion system and is rarely observed in the mediastinum. The authors experienced a case of nonfunctioning paraganglioma of the posterior mediastinum. The patient was 34-years-old male in whom abnormal mass lesion was nites in chest radiograph with hemoptysis. His blood pressure and serologic examination were within normal range upon admission to our hospital. Chest CT revealed a tumor in the left lower lobe. Diagnostic thoracoscopy was performed and diagnosed a posterior mediastinal mass. Surgical resection was them performed. Posterior mediastinal mass was removed successfully and histological examination of the surgical specimen diagnosed paraganglioma. He received radiotherapy after surgery and was followed up. Related literature are reviewed.

• Korean Journal of Head & Neck Oncology
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• v.5 no.1
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• pp.5-13
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• 1989

Carotid body paraganglioma is uncommon, with appoximately 900 reports of it in the world literature, and with only 7 documented cases in the Korean literature. The classic carotid body paraganglioma develops in the bifurcation of common carotid artery and involves both the internal and external carotid arteries at it expands. The diagnosis may almost always be established preoperatively by selective angiography which shows a widening of the carotid bifurcation with a well defined vascular mass. Differential consideration of a single, lateral cervical mass in this location include branchial cleft cyst, neurogenic tumor, metastatic thyroid cancer, carotid body aneurysm and salivary gland tumor. Surgical therapy is the preferred method of treatment as these tumors are regarded as radioresistant. Because of their high vascularity and anatomical location, surgical removal of these tumors reguires a considerable degree of caution and a high degree of surgical expertise. With improved diagnostic and surgical technique, the morbidity and mortality has been reduced lately. This report details the management of 3 patients with carotid body paraganglioma who underwent safe resection by subadventitial dissection or using an internal vascular shunt.