Definition of Glomus jugulare tumor:

A glomus jugulare tumor is a tumor that can affect the ear, upper neck, base of the skull, and the surrounding blood vessels and nerves.

Causes, incidence, and risk factors:

A glomus jugulare tumor grows in the bones of the skull, where nerves are located. Specifically, the tumor occurs in part of the jugular vein (a large vein in the neck) or along a certain nerve on the side of the skull (temporal bone).

Both of these areas contain glomus bodies, which are nerve fibers that normally respond to change in body temperature or blood pressure. A person with a glomus jugulare tumor may have hearing loss, dizziness, or a feeling of a loud pulsing in the ear.

These tumors usually occur later in life, around age 60 or 70, but can appear at any age. The cause of a glomus jugulare tumor is unknown. Usually, there are no known risk factors. Glomus tumors have been associated with changes (mutations) in a gene responsible for succinate dehydrogenase (SDHD), an enzyme.