Thyroid Cancer and Carotid Body Concomitant Tumor: A Case Report

Abstract

Carotid body tumors are rare neuroendocrine tumors originating from the autonomic nervous system; the annual incidence is approximately 0.8% per 100,000 people per year with a predisposition in females. Papillary thyroid cancer is a type of differentiated cancer derived from the follicular cells of the gland. It has an incidence of 13.5% per 100,000 with a mortality of 0.5% per 100,000 people, affecting women more frequently. The association of papillary thyroid cancer with tumors of the carotid body is uncommon with few cases reported in the literature. Surgery is the main method of therapy for patients with differentiated thyroid cancer. In the hands of expert surgeons, it presents a low risk of complications, offering the patient a good prognosis and a good quality of life. In cases of carotid glomus, surgical resection is chosen in small tumors, in young patients and tumors that do not invade the base of the skull. We present the case of a patient with papillary thyroid cancer associated with carotid paraganglioma that was managed with surgical resolution in a single operation.