eMedicine Specialties > Neurosurgery > Neoplasm

Glomus Tumors: Follow-up

Author: Ryszard M Pluta, MD, PhD, Associate Professor, Neurosurgical Department Medical Research Center, Polish Academy of Sciences at Warsaw, Poland; Senior Researcher, Surgical Neurology Branch, National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, NIH
Coauthor(s): Brian A Iuliano, MD, Attending Neurosurgeon, Central Maryland Neurosurgical Associates
Contributor Information and Disclosures

Updated: Apr 20, 2009

Outcome and Prognosis

Glomus jugulare tumors may grow slowly and produce cranial nerve palsies that, to a certain point, are benign and mostly cosmetic. However, despite this optimistic assessment, a recent study showed a long-term reduced quality of life in patients with glomus tumors.1

The mortality rate is 6.2% among patients treated with radiation and 2.5% among those treated surgically. The overall mortality rate is 8.7%.

Twenty years after treatment, the survival rate is 94%, and 77% of patients remain symptom free. In 1945, Rosenwasser described the first patient diagnosed with glomus jugulare tumor. The patient survived until 1987.5

Future and Controversies

Surgery is the treatment of choice for glomus tumors, and its effectiveness will improve with intraoperative guiding and imaging systems.

The cooperative work of neurosurgeons and neuro-otologists to surgically resect Fisch type A, B, and C tumors has proven to be of value. However, definitive optimal treatment of type D glomus jugulare tumor is still controversial.

Because of its long-term effects on the bone and brain, radiation that is not stereotactically targeted is outdated. Radiosurgery with its influence on neuro-oncology must be proven useful in treatment of these slowly growing tumors.14

Continued tumor growth and postsurgical damage to the lower cranial nerves are issues that still need to be successfully addressed.

Recent genetic research on familial glomus jugulare tumors suggests future directions of treatment towards gene manipulation.

 


More on Glomus Tumors

Overview: Glomus Tumors
Treatment: Glomus Tumors
Follow-up: Glomus Tumors
Multimedia: Glomus Tumors
References
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References

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Further Reading

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Keywords

glomus tumors, glomus jugulare tumor, paraganglioma, chemodectoma, nonchromaffin paraganglia, temporal bone tumor, ganglia tympanica, glandula tympanica, vascular tumors of the middle ear, conductive hearing loss, pulsatile tinnitus, ear fullness, otorrhea, hemorrhage, bruit, middle ear mass, ringing in the ears, deafness

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Contributor Information and Disclosures

Author

Ryszard M Pluta, MD, PhD, Associate Professor, Neurosurgical Department Medical Research Center, Polish Academy of Sciences at Warsaw, Poland; Senior Researcher, Surgical Neurology Branch, National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, NIH
Ryszard M Pluta, MD, PhD is a member of the following medical societies: Congress of Neurological Surgeons and Polish Society of Neurosurgeons
Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

Coauthor(s)

Brian A Iuliano, MD, Attending Neurosurgeon, Central Maryland Neurosurgical Associates
Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

Medical Editor

Duc Hoang Duong, MD, Professor, Chief Physician, Departments of Neurological Surgery and Neuroscience, Epilepsy Center, Charles R Drew University
Duc Hoang Duong, MD is a member of the following medical societies: American Neurological Association, Congress of Neurological Surgeons, and North American Skull Base Society
Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

Pharmacy Editor

Francisco Talavera, PharmD, PhD, Senior Pharmacy Editor, eMedicine
Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

Managing Editor

Allen R Wyler, MD, Former Medical Director, Northstar Neuroscience, Inc
Allen R Wyler, MD is a member of the following medical societies: American Academy of Neurological and Orthopaedic Surgeons, American Association of Neurological Surgeons, and Society of Neurological Surgeons
Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

CME Editor

Paolo Zamboni, MD, Professor of Surgery, Chief of Day Surgery Unit, Chair of Vascular Diseases Center, University of Ferrara, Italy
Paolo Zamboni, MD is a member of the following medical societies: American Venous Forum and New York Academy of Sciences
Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

Chief Editor

Allen R Wyler, MD, Former Medical Director, Northstar Neuroscience, Inc
Allen R Wyler, MD is a member of the following medical societies: American Academy of Neurological and Orthopaedic Surgeons, American Association of Neurological Surgeons, and Society of Neurological Surgeons
Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

 
 
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