A glomus jugulare tumor is a tumor of a part of the temporal bone in the skull. This tumor can affect the ear, upper neck, base of the skull, and the surrounding blood vessels and nerves.
Paraganglioma - glomus jugulare
A glomus jugulare tumor grows in the temporal bone of the skull, in an area called the jugular foramen. The jugular foramen is also where the jugular vein and several important nerves exit the skull.
This area contains nerve fibers, called glomus bodies, which normally respond to changes in body temperature or blood pressure.
These tumors usually occur later in life, around age 60 or 70, but they can appear at any age. The cause of a glomus jugulare tumor is unknown. Usually, there are no known risk factors. Glomus tumors have been associated with changes (mutations) in a gene responsible for the enzyme succinate dehydrogenase (SDHD).
Symptoms may include:
Glomus jugulare tumors are diagnosed by physical examination and imaging tests, including:
Glomus jugulare tumors are rarely cancerous and do not tend to spread to other parts of the body. However, treatment may be needed to relieve symptoms. The main treatment is surgery. Surgery is complex and is usually done by both a neurosurgeon and a head and neck surgeon (neurotologist).
In some cases, a procedure called embolization is performed before surgery to prevent the tumor from bleeding too much during surgery.
After surgery, radiation therapy may be used to treat any part of the tumor that could not be removed completely.
Some glomus tumors can be treated with stereotactic radiosurgery.
Patients who have surgery or radiation tend to do well. More than 90% of those with glomus jugulare tumors are cured.
The most common complications are due to nerve damage, which may be caused by the tumor itself or damage during surgery. Nerve damage can lead to:
Call your health care provider if you:
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Marsh M, Jenkins HA. Temporal bone neoplasms and lateralcranial base surgery. In: Flint PW, Haughey BH, Lund LJ, et al, eds. Cummings Otolaryngology: Head & Neck Surgery. 5th ed. Philadelphia, Pa: Mosby Elsevier; 2010:chap 176.