[Tracheal adenoid cystic carcinoma presenting as a thyroid tumor]

Primary tumors of the trachea are rare. Adenoid cystic carcinoma is the second most common tracheal malignancy and its symptoms are nonspecific. A 66-year-old woman presented with complaints of progressive dyspnea and cough of a two-week duration. She had received asthmatic treatment many times for the past four years. Physical examination revealed a large, firm, nontender, multilobular mass in the thyroid gland. Indirect laryngoscopic examination showed subglottic stenosis. On a plain cervical radiograph, there was narrowing of the tracheal lumen. Emergent tracheotomy was performed and a biopsy was taken from the mass. Histopathologic examination revealed adenoid cystic carcinoma, suggesting a thyroid mass with a tracheal origin. Despite medical treatment, the patient died in the fourth month.