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Uncommon primary tracheal tumors
Henning A Gaissert1, Hermes C Grillo, M Behgam Shadmehr
1Division of Thoracic Surgery and Center for Clinical Effectiveness in Surgery, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts 02114, USA. hgaissert@partners.org
The Annals of Thoracic Surgery
|June 27, 2006
Summary
Surgical resection of uncommon primary tracheal tumors is effective for benign and malignant types. This treatment alleviates airway obstruction and offers curative or survival-prolonging outcomes.
Area of Science:
- Thoracic surgery
- Oncology
- Pulmonology
Background:
- Primary tracheal tumors, excluding adenoid cystic and squamous cell carcinoma, are rare with limited treatment data.
- Histologic diversity and treatment options for these uncommon tumors necessitate further investigation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To analyze the treatment and long-term outcomes of uncommon primary tracheal tumors.
- To evaluate the efficacy of surgical resection for these rare neoplasms.
Main Methods:
- Retrospective analysis of 90 uncommon primary tracheal tumors from 360 cases over 40 years.
- Exclusion of adenoid cystic and squamous cell carcinoma from the analysis.
- Review of surgical interventions and patient outcomes, including survival and complications.
Main Results:
- The cohort included benign (38%) and malignant (56%) tumors: carcinoid, mucoepidermoid carcinoma, sarcoma, bronchogenic carcinoma, lymphoma, and melanoma.
- Surgical resection was performed in 85% of patients, with low hospital mortality (2.6%) and major complication rates (16%).
- Long-term survival rates were high for benign (94% at 10 years), carcinoid (83% at 10 years), and mucoepidermoid tumors (100% at 5 years), with prolonged survival for other malignant types.
Conclusions:
- Surgical resection effectively alleviates airway obstruction caused by uncommon primary tracheal tumors.
- Resection is curative for benign and slow-growing malignant lesions.
- Surgical treatment prolongs survival for patients with highly malignant tracheal tumors.
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