Diagnosis and treatment of a carotid body tumor: A case report of a rare bilateral tumor

In the present case report, a rare bilateral carotid body tumor (CBT) and the imaging and pathological features of a CBT are described. In the present report, a rare case of bilateral carotid body tumor, which developed in the bifurcation of the common carotid artery, and the clinical manifestations, imaging and pathological features of this CBT are summarized. The imaging cannot validate the diagnosis; however, imaging identified that the tumor exhibited an intact envelope. Immunohistochemical staining revealed that the tumor cells were strongly positive for cluster of differentiation 56, Syn and protein S-100, moderately positive for transcription factor E3, negative for cytokeratin and epithelial membrane antigen, and partial cells were weakly positive for Desmir (<5%). In view of the clinical and pathological features of the carotid body tumor, surgery is hypothesized to be the optimal treatment and may enable the tumor to be resected completely. Refined surgical techniques provide the security of safe resection and decrease the risk of complications occurring.