Carotid body tumor: familial occurrence

Four patients are presented with a carotid body tumor and three patients who may have had a carotid body tumor, all from one family of 81 members. This confirms the familial incidence of this tumor. A short review of the literature is presented. An autosomal dominant inheritance seems most likely in familial carotid body tumor. Screening family relatives of patients to diagnose a carotid body tumor at an early stage should make surgery easier and reduce the complication rate associated with surgery.