Objective:

To present the results of the treatment of a series of cases of Carotid Body Tumors (CBT).

Material and methods:

Retrospective study in which the cases of CBT of patients treated for 20 years were analyzed. The frequency of presentation was analyzed according to the Shamblin classification, the type of treatment used, complications, as well as the results obtained.

Results:

55 patients with 62 CBT were included. According to the Shamblin category, we found 4 cases (6.5%) type I, 44 cases (71%) type II and 14 cases (22.6%) type III. Surgery was performed in 64.5% of tumors. The median intraoperative bleeding was 350 ml, while operative time was 120 min. There were 3 postoperative complications (7.5%), which included one Horner syndrome, one superior laryngeal nerve lesion and one stroke. In the rest of the patients, treatment was with External Beam Radiation Therapy (EBRT) or surveillance.

Conclusions:

Surgery is the best treatment option for CBT, especially in Shamblin I and II. Preoperative embolization was not essential for resection of these tumors. EBRT appears to be the best treatment for Shamblin III tumors.