[Primary epithelioid angiosarcoma of the proximal trachea]

A 81-year-old man presented with massive hemoptysis and dyspnea. Results of chest radiography and computer tomography were highly suspicious for a large right-sided tumor of the bronchus with impression of the right main bronchus. Because of clinical worsening the patient was transferred to our department of pulmonology. The patient died of unappeasable hemoptysis the next day. At autopsy we found a 2-cm-diameter tumor of the proximal trachea as the source of massive bleeding and blood aspiration. Histological examination confirmed the tumor to be an epithelioid angiosarcoma of the trachea, which was a primary as no other tumor manifestation was detected. The entity of epithelioid angiosarcoma as a primary tumor of the trachea, to our knowledge, has not yet been reported.