Abstract

Paraganglioma is a tumor that develops from clusters of neuroendocrine cells located along the vascular and nervous axes called paraganglia. They are present in different locations: the thorax (posterior mediastinum), the abdomen (in the vicinity of the large blood vessels; aorta and vena cava). Some paragangliomas are secreting, most often catecholamines. They are often asymptomatic and can reach significant dimensions. These tumors are benign in more than 80% of cases and localized. Several recent studies have shown that in one third to one half of cases paragangliomas are associated with a hereditary syndrome. We report in this work a particular case of a patient with an inter aorticocaval paraganglioma simulating pancreatic cancer.