Malignant Paraganglioma of the Carotid Body with Multiple Metastatic Involvement: A Rare Case: Paraganglioma maligno

Abstract

Paragangliomas are rare neuroendocrine tumors derived from the sympathetic and parasympathetic portions of the paraganglia, the presence of metastasis is what determines malignancy. We present the case of a 34-year-old man with a carotid body paraganglioma with metastatic involvement of bone, nodes, liver, and lung, who additionally presents with symptomatic tumor hypoglycemia. Given the advanced stage of the disease, he was not a candidate for surgical management, symptomatic management and high-dose steroids were provided to manage hypoglycemia. He died 2 weeks after admission due to liver failure secondary to metastatic involvement at this level.