Gangliocytic Paraganglioma

ABSTRACT

Gangliocytic paraganglioma (GP) is a rare benign tumor that is usually seen in the duodenum. It shows unique histologic features that are composed of a carcinoid or paraganglioma-like appearance, ganglion cells, and Schwann cells. The common presenting symptoms are abdominal pain, gastrointestinal bleeding and obstruction. The lesion can sometimes be asymptomatic and they are discovered incidentally. We experienced a case of incidentally found GP in a 73 year-old-man who had a colon cancer with liver metastasis. During the preoperative workup, a submucosal tumor was found in the duodenal papilla. The frozen diagnosis of the duodenal mass was GP, which was confirmed by the permanent sections and immunohistochemical staining. Pathologists should be alert to recognize and diagnose this rare, but benign disease, especially in the patient suffering with gastrointestinal cancer.