While rare, anyone can get a carotid body tumour (part of a larger family of tumours known as paragangliomas). While they’re often painless, they can also be troublesome — or even dangerous. Your healthcare provider may want to remove the tumor because it can become large and affect the blood vessels in your neck or cause other symptoms including hoarseness, numbness in your tongue, sore throat or other swallowing problems (dysphagia).
At Cleveland Clinic London, we offer unparalleled expertise in treating carotid body tumours. We are one of the few hospitals with all the necessary consultants and services for successful treatment. No other private centre in the U.K. can match our capabilities. And that’s good news for you. With the right care — convenient, prompt and effective — you’ll be on the road to recovery and back to enjoying life without this worry.
More Information About Carotid Body Tumours and Paragangliomas
These blood vessel tumours occur in a cluster of cells (called the carotid body) where your two carotid arteries branch out into smaller vessels. These smaller vessels carry blood from the heart to the brain.
These tumours are not congenital (you’re not born with them) and they seem to be more common in women and people assigned female at birth and in people older than 20.
You may not even have symptoms for some time and not even notice the growth. But you’ll notice as it grows larger — and if carotid body tumours become large enough to press on nearby nerves and blood vessels, that’s when they can cause health concerns.
Why Choose Us for Carotid Body Tumours and Paragangliomas?
If you’re looking for the right care for a rare tumour, you’re going to want the best team on your side. Our highly skilled consultants, many from London’s top teaching hospitals, work together to deliver expert, research-based care.
Depending on exactly where the tumour is on your neck, you may receive services from:
- Vascular surgeons.
- Neurosurgeons.
- Skull base surgeons.
- Otolaryngologists (ear, nose and throat surgeons).
- Endocrinologists.
- Interventional radiologists.
Highlights of our service include:
- Experience: Our expert team regularly treats patients with these tumours so people from across the U.K. and other countries come to receive our services. Other surgeons elsewhere may see only a few of these tumours in their careers (they account for less than 1% of head and neck tumours).
- Personalised treatment: Paragangliomas typically grow slowly and are not likely to spread (metastasise). Years may pass before it’s necessary to surgically remove them. If a tumour grows quickly or reaches 2 to 3 centimetres, we discuss the benefits and risks of treatment. Consultants answer your questions and help you decide what’s next.
- Prompt access: We see new patients within a few days and perform a thorough evaluation. If treatment is appropriate, you may undergo carotid body tumour surgery in as little as a few weeks.
- Skull base tumour care: Paragangliomas sometimes develop in tissue deep within the skull behind the eyes and nose. These tumours are near critical nerves and blood vessels and can be difficult to reach. Our consultants use minimally invasive techniques to safely access and remove them while protecting nearby tissue.
What to Expect in Carotid Body Tumour and Paraganglioma Care
Services for carotid body tumours start with a thorough evaluation. Part of this process is listening to you. We want to hear and understand your story, your health journey to this point. And we’ll discuss each next step.
At Cleveland Clinic London, you have access to all the investigations you need, including advanced imaging studies. We also perform genetic testing to determine the tumour’s likelihood of metastasising (spreading to other parts of your body). Consultants review the results of your assessment and provide personalised recommendations.
Carotid body tumour surgery
Once your consultant has determined that treatment of the tumour is necessary, it’s typically surgically removed. Your surgery team usually includes a vascular surgeon and a head and neck surgeon. This collaboration means that you have the best opportunity for a quick and full recovery.
If the tumour is large, you’ll have the advantage of additional consultants joining your care team, including interventional radiologists. In these cases, they’ll perform an embolisation (a minimally invasive procedure that blocks or closes a specific blood vessel) to disrupt the blood flow to the tumour and help it shrink before surgery.
After surgery, you’ll stay in hospital for a few days. Your first night is in our intensive care unit, one of the U.K.’s largest and most technically advanced in the private hospital sector. Nurses provide around-the-clock monitoring to make sure you’re comfortable — and your recovery stays on track
Additional services for carotid body tumour and paragangliomas
We also offer:
- High blood pressure treatment: Some paragangliomas secrete hormones that raise your blood pressure. Endocrinologists coordinate therapies to lower it.
- Radiotherapy: If surgery is necessary but you cannot undergo an operation, this option uses powerful energy to destroy the tumour. It’s available through our partnership with The London Clinic.
- Rehabilitative therapies: Large tumours sometimes damage nerves that support speaking and swallowing. We coordinate with physiotherapists and gastroenterologists to help you regain as much function as possible.
- Ongoing monitoring: Even with successful treatment, paragangliomas sometimes come back. We perform regular exams and imaging to catch the earliest signs of recurrence.
Heart, Vascular & Thoracic Self-Pay Services
You can receive services from some of the U.K.’s leading heart and vascular consultants — and you have several options for how to pay for those services. Cleveland Clinic London offers the latest investigations and treatments available for self-pay, paying with private insurance or even through a sponsorship. No matter what you choose, services are available promptly. And that makes it a whole lot easier to fit care into your busy schedule. Find out more.
Learn More
Contact us or call +44 80 0098 1748 to make an appointment or for more information. You can also email the Heart, Vascular & Thoracic Institute access team cclcardiologyadmin@ccf.org.
