Carotid body tumor--a case report.

Carotid body tumors are rare neoplasms, which typically present as a slow growing, painless neck mass found along the anterior border of the sternocleidomastoid muscle. These tumors are generally benign but possess aggressive local growth potential. Therefore, definitive treatment requires surgical resection. The authors describe a case of a patient with a carotid body tumor and review the most recent literature on this unusual topic.