[Thyroid carcinoma with tracheal invasion: a series of five cases]

We report five cases of thyroid carcinoma with tracheal invasion. In two patients infiltration was found during thyroid exeresis. Diagnosis was based on respiratory signs such as hemoptysis and stridor in the other three patients. The pathologic diagnosis was papillary carcinoma for four patients and follicular carcinoma for one, the only man in the series. Treatment by thyroidectomy, tracheal resection and end-to-end anastomosis with node removal was followed by long-term survival. A search for tracheal involvement during thyroidectomy and clinical suspicion were the keys to a good prognosis for these patients.