Thoracic Tumors

Abstract

Bloom (1943) concluded, after study of 2 heart base tumors in dogs, that these lesions arose from the aortic bodies. He considered these structures to be homologous with the carotid body and, accordingly, termed these neoplasms “tumors of the aortic bodies” Mulligan (1950) later named these thoracic canine tumors chemodectomas. The first reports of mediastinal nonchromaffin paragangliomas arising in relation to the great vessels in man were made independently by Lattes and Monro in 1950. Both authors recognized their derivation from the cardioaortic bodies, with Monro (1950) stressing the concept of glomera serially arranged in relation to the branchial arches. The multicentric occurrence of carotid, vagal, and aortic body tumors in 1 of the cases reported by Lattes (1950) led him to propose a system of chemoreceptor organs.