Retroperitoneal paraganglioma with metastasis to the abdominal vertebra: a case report

BACKGROUND: Extra-adrenal paraganglioma of the retroperitoneum with metastasis to the vertebra is very rare. To our knowledge this is the first report of this kind of disease in the literature. CASE PRESENTATION: Here, we present an oroginal case of paraganglioma of the retroperitoneum with metastasis to the abdominal vertebra in a 42-year-old female patient who was successfully treated by complete removal of the tumor and its metastasis. The patient was followed up for four years and remained disease-free. CONCLUSION: Our case demonstrated the need to consider paraganglioma of the retroperitoneum in the differential diagnosis of retroperitoneal mass, metastatic tumors to the vertebra, and the importance of radical surgery for a successful management of the disease. VIRTUAL SLIDES: The virtual slide(s) for this article can be found here: http://www.diagnosticpathology.diagnomx.eu/vs/1956611954880197