Malignant paraganglioma, a rare presentation with foot drop: a case report

Paragangliomas (or extra-adrenal paragangliomas) are rare neuroendocrine tumors that arise from the extra-adrenal autonomic paraganglia, small organs consisting mainly of neuroendocrine cells that are derived from the embryonic neural crest and have the ability to secrete catecholamines. This is in contrast to pheochromocytomas, where tumors occur in the adrenal gland. Malignant paraganglioma is a very rare presentation. We present a case report of a 56-year-old woman with acute foot drop with no previous significant background history. To the best of our knowledge, the current case represents the first case of malignant paraganglioma with acute foot drop presentation.