Quality of Life and Postoperative Outcomes After Surgery in Carotid Body Tumor Patients

The aim of this study was to study the quality of life (QoL) and postoperative outcomes in patients with carotid body tumor (CBT) undergoing surgery. This was an observational study in a tertiary care center in North India. A total of 18 patients with CBT undergoing surgery were included. All patients were operated upon by a vascular surgeon at the center. The patient demographics, disease characteristics, intraoperative data, and postoperative outcomes were recorded. All patients were followed for a period of ≥3 months following surgery. The QoL was assessed using the European Organization for Research and the Treatment of Cancer (EORTC) questionnaires. The EORTC QLQ-30 was used to assess global health and functional health status, whereas the EORTC H&N-35 was used to assess symptomatic health. The QoL data were recorded preoperatively for all patients, whereas 11 patients agreed to provide postoperative QoL data using physical and telephonic follow-ups. The preoperative and postoperative QoL data were compared. Among 18 patients, 11 (61%) were female and 7 (39%) were male. The median age of patients was 35 years (range, 21-62 years). The median duration of symptoms at presentation was 3.5 years (range, 0.17-13 years). The Shamblin grade was I in one (5%), II in 12 (67%), and III in five (28%) patients. The disease was bilateral in two (11%) patients. A family history of CBT was present in one (5%) patient. The size of the tumor ranged from 3 to 10 cm. Of all the patients, two patients (11%) underwent preoperative angioembolization. All patients underwent CBT excision. The mean operative time was 2.7 ± 1.0 hours. The mean blood loss was 230 ± 232 mL. Vascular reconstruction was required in three patients (17%). Nerve resection was required in two patients (11%). Both patients had tumor sizes of >7 cm. Iatrogenic nerve injury occurred in one patient (5%). Postoperatively, one patient (5%) developed neck hematoma, which required re-exploration. The median hospital stay was 3 days (range, 1-17 days). The median follow-up was 34.5 months (range, 3-56 months). The neurological deficits were present in five patients (28%) at discharge and three patients (17%) at ≥3 months follow-up (Table I). No recurrences were observed. The change in QoL was non-significant (P > .05) in global health, functional health, and symptomatic health at ≥3 months follow-up. Surgery is an effective modality for the treatment of CBT; however, it does not affect the QoL significantly.TableNeurological deficits in patients with carotid body tumor (CBT) after surgeryDeficitAt dischargeAt ≥3 months follow-upHoarseness of voice5 (28)3 (17)Horner syndrome2 (11)0 (0)Dysphagia1 (5)1 (5)Tongue deviation2 (11)1 (5)Facial deviation1 (5)0 (0)Data are presented as number (%). Open table in a new tab