[Upper lobectomy for lung cancer with true tracheal bronchus: a unique presentation]

Tracheal bronchus is an aberrant bronchus usually originating from the right lateral wall of the trachea, with an incidence ranging from 0.1% to 5% and usually within 2.0cm above the carina. The incidence of lung cancer with bronchial anomaly is very rare. There are only nine cases of lung cancer developing from the tracheal bronchus reported in the literature. Histological examination showed squamous cell carcinoma in only three of them, and we present a fourth case who was a 57-year-old man. Interestingly our patient's anomaly included both an absence of the normal right upper bronchus as well as right upper lobe ventilated from the true tracheal bronchus. This is the first documented case in the world of a squamous carcinoma arising from the true tracheal bronchus. Post-surgical histological stage was T2aN0M0 (stage IB). The patient is well 48 months after the operation and has no evidence of recurrence.