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Paragangliomas of the head and neck region
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Abstract
Paragangliomas of the head and neck are a group of neoplasms which occur very rarely. Most of them are benign tumours. Tinnitus, headaches and dysfunction of the cranial nerves are typical symptoms. Some paragangliomas have metastatic abilities and they can produce catecholamines. There are some typical imaging features in CT and MRI scans which help to determine the correct diagnosis without the necessity of performing a biopsy which can be associated with a haemorrhage risk. Therapeutic management consists of the choice between an active observation, surgical procedure, as well as radiotherapy and systemic therapy in the case of malignant paragangliomas.
Abstract
Paragangliomas of the head and neck are a group of neoplasms which occur very rarely. Most of them are benign tumours. Tinnitus, headaches and dysfunction of the cranial nerves are typical symptoms. Some paragangliomas have metastatic abilities and they can produce catecholamines. There are some typical imaging features in CT and MRI scans which help to determine the correct diagnosis without the necessity of performing a biopsy which can be associated with a haemorrhage risk. Therapeutic management consists of the choice between an active observation, surgical procedure, as well as radiotherapy and systemic therapy in the case of malignant paragangliomas.
Keywords
paraganglioma, radiotherapy, stereotactic radiotherapy
About this articleTitle
Paragangliomas of the head and neck region
Journal
Nowotwory. Journal of Oncology
Issue
Article type
Review paper
Pages
132-139
Published online
2018-11-26
Page views
924
Article views/downloads
1085
DOI
Bibliographic record
Nowotwory. Journal of Oncology 2018;68(3):132-139.
Keywords
paraganglioma
radiotherapy
stereotactic radiotherapy
Authors
Paweł Polanowski
Agnieszka Kotecka-Blicharz
Ewa Chmielik
Krzysztof Oleś
Andrzej Wygoda
Tomasz Rutkowski
Marek Kentnowski
Anna Zarudzka
Urszula Dworzecka
Bolesław Pilecki
Kinga Dębiec
Dorota Księżniak-Baran
Joanna Niedziałek
Agata Bieleń
Dominika Leś
Adam Brewczyński
Urszula Wojciechowska
Krzysztof Składowski