This presentation includes a report of four vagal body tumors bringing the total number in the English literature to approximately 80. The diagnosis and treatment of this lesion, its familial incidence and the propensity for multiple secreting or nonsecreting chemodectomas, and appropriate clinical and pathologic studies required will be reviewed in some detail. Appropriate differential diagnostic features will be illustrated by comparison of these tumors with other primary vagal tumors from our experience such as neurofibromas, neurilemmomas, and cystic degeneration of neurilemmomas.

A malignant mesenchymoma exhibiting a varied spectrum of differentiation developed within a congenital pulmonary cyst 6 1/2 years after the cyst was first recognized. Related tumors with a similar gross appearance have been previously described and have included rhabdomyosarcomas and so-called pulmonary blastomas. There is a low but distinct risk for the development of mesenchymal sarcomas within congenital peripheral pulmonary cysts.