Malignant paraganglioma with skeletal metastases and spinal cord compression: response and palliation with chemotherapy.

Paragangliomas (carotid body tumours, chemodectomas) may arise in any area of the body where sympathetic ganglia are present, including chemoreceptors, the adrenal medulla and retroperitoneal ganglia. Increasing numbers of patients are being reported with vertebral metastases and spinal cord compression for which either decompression laminectomy or external beam radiotherapy, or both, are required. Patients with vertebral metastases may develop progression of disease after radiation therapy. There is little published information on the use of chemotherapy in this clinical situation. We report a case of metastatic paraganglioma complicated by spinal cord compression showing evidence of clinical benefit from chemotherapy after progressive disease and symptoms developed in a region previously treated by radiation therapy.