Glomus bodies are structures throughout the body that monitor the blood for several chemicals. Rarely they can grow and form a tumor, known as a glomus tumor.

Glomus TumorThe most common places for these tumors to develop are in the neck and the base of the skull below the ear.  These tumors are almost always benign, but when they are cancerous, they are very low malignancy.

Glomus tumors can grow very slowly and the most common symptoms patients have are hearing loss, noise in their ear, balance problems, and swallowing problems. Because these tumors are so slow growing, there are many different options available for treating them, including simple observation. When they grow to a larger size, or are causing symptoms, treatment options are explored.

Treatment Options

Surgical removal of these tumors is done by the skull base team. Duke neurotologists, David Kaylie, MD, and Debara Tucci, MD, specialize in surgical removal and radiation of glomus tumors and other skull base tumors. They work closely with the other members of the skull base team including neurosurgeons and radiation oncologists.

The location of these tumors is different for every patient and treatment plans need to be made specifically for each patient. The Duke skull base team is one of the only multidisciplinary teams where all medical specialties collaborate to provide care that is specifically designed for each patient.

Our neurotologists also provide care for hearing, balance, and facial weakness that can occur as a result of these tumors.