Carotid body tumor
Overview :
A carotid body tumor (also called a chemodectoma or paraganglioma) is a growth on the side of your neck in the area where the carotid artery splits off into smaller blood vessels that carry blood to your brain. You have two carotid arteries ─ one on each side of your neck ─ that supply blood to the front of the brain, which is responsible for thinking, speech, personality, and sensory and motor functions.
Symptoms
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Many times, a carotid body tumor does not cause symptoms and is found by your doctor during an exam. You may be able to feel the tumor, but it is not painful.
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If the tumor becomes large, it can press on the nerves, blood vessels or organs around it. This may cause throat pain, hoarseness, a numb tongue or make it hard to swallow.
Diagnosis
Physical examination followed by imaging which includes,
- Ultrasound – a test that uses a special tool (transducer/wand) that sends sound waves inside body to create pictures.
- Magnetic resonance imaging – a test that uses a large magnet and radio waves to create detailed pictures of the body.
- Computer tomography (CT) – a special type of X-ray.
- Magnetic Resonance Angiography (MRA) – an MRI that checks for problems with blood vessels.
Carotid body tumors are not usually cancerous. But, they can grow quickly and become large. Because of this, the best treatment is often surgery to remove the tumor. In rare cases, radiation therapy is used.
Treatment
multidisciplinary approach required for carotid body tumor treatment.
Transcatheter Embolization
A transcatheter embolization is a procedure that reduces blood supply to the tumor. It is done two or three days before surgery. A catheter will be guided through your groin artery into the blood vessels that feed blood to the tumor. Then, medication and/or a blocking device, such as foam, plastic, metal coil, or glue is used to stop the blood flow to the tumor.
Surgical Removal (Resection)
Most times (60% -70%), the tumor can be removed without the need to repair or remove part of the carotid artery. If the artery does need to be repaired, it may be fixed with a simple suture repair. Sometimes, a more complicated repair is needed, such as creating a patch over a hole made during the tumor removal or replacing a section of the artery with a bypass graft (using another blood vessel to create a new pathway for the blood to flow).
Schwannoma
Overview :
Every nerve in your body is protected by a layer of tissue called a sheath. A schwannoma is a tumor that grows in the sheaths of nerves in peripheral nervous system, or the parts of nervous system that aren’t in brain or spinal cord.Schwannomas also referred as neurilemomas, neuromas,or neurolemomas.
Schwannomas are usually bening, meaning they’re harmless. In rare cases, they can be malignant, or cancerous. Malignant schwannomas are also called soft tissue sarcoma.
Most people with schwannomas only have one, but it’s possible to have more. Multiple schwannomas are usually a result of schwannomatosis.
Syndrome like neurofibromatosis type 2 also cause schwannomas.
Symptoms
Schwannomas usually don’t produce symptoms until they become large enough to put pressure on the nerves around them. Occasional pain cab be felt in the area that’s controlled by the affected nerve. Some other common systems include:
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A visible lump under the skin
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sharp, aching, or burning pain
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A pins-and-needles sensation
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Muscle weakness
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Numbness
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Night time pain in back or neck
Many schwannomas occur on the nerve that connect your inner ear and brain. This is known as a vestibular schwannoma, or acoustic neuroma. In addition to the symptoms above, an acoustic neuroma can also cause:
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hearing problems in one or both ears
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ringing in one or both ears
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loss of coordination and balance
causes:
Aside from NF2 and schwannomatosis, researchers don’t know what causes schwannomas. People with a family history of spinal cancer are more likely to have a spinal schwannoma, which suggests they could be genetic. Exposure to radiation is another possible cause.
Diagnosis:
- Diagnosing schwannomas is hard because their symptoms are similar to those of many conditions. They also grow very slowly, so any symptoms they do produce are usually very subtle if they’re even noticeable.
- If symptoms present, need to perform an X-ray, ultrasound, CT scan, or MRI scan to pinpoint the affected area. They may also give you a hearing and balance test if they think you may have an acoustic neuroma.
Treatment
- Schwannomas are usually removed with surgery. They can often be scraped off without damaging the nerve. Recovery time and any remaining symptoms can vary widely based on the size and location of the schwannoma.
- Cancerous schwannomas which are inopreble can also be treated with chemotherapy and immunotherapy medications.