Relationship between Carotid Body Tumor and Thyroid Papillary Cancer

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Carotid body tumor (CBT) represents a specific type of head and neck paraganglioma that is characteristically located at the bifurcation of the carotid artery. This tumor typically causes a separation of the external and internal carotid arteries. On the other hand, papillary thyroid carcinoma is recognized as the most common malignant neoplasm of the thyroid gland. In spite of the fact that they are distinctive pathologies, they both affect the neck region. Given the exceptionally low incidence of carotid body tumors (CBTs), the occurrence of an additional malignancy—whether synchronous or metachronous—in the same patient is expected to be an extraordinarily rare phenomenon. Within the literature, a genetic and syndromic relationship between carotid body tumor and papillary thyroid carcinoma is not however known. We describe two cases that could provide valuable insights into the limited body of evidence concerning the potential relationship between these distinct pathologies. The simultaneous presence of carotid body tumor and papillary thyroid carcinoma in a single patient might either represent a coincidental finding or stem from an unidentified genetic mutation.