Therapeutic bronchoscopy followed by lobectomy for pulmonary sarcoma

Malignant central airway obstruction is a life-threatening presentation requiring emergency palliative procedure. In selected patients, bronchoscopic intervention could be used as a bridge to curative resection. Here we report a 54-year-old male with pulmonary sarcoma of the right upper lobe, presenting with acute respiratory failure because of endobronchial extension. Emergency coring with the rigid bronchoscope and Dumon stent insertion stabilized the patient, and subsequent lobectomy resulted in occurrence-free survival over a 71-month follow-up.