Surgical management of bronchopulmonary carcinoids: A single center experience

Bronchopulmonary carcinoids are uncommon tumors with relatively indolent biological behavior but a distinct malignant potential. Surgery is the mainstay of treatment. Our aim was to study preoperative characteristics, surgical approaches, and outcome in patients with bronchopulmonary carcinoid tumors.

This retrospective study was done in the Department of Surgical Oncology of a Tertiary Teaching Hospital of North India. The case records of all the patients who underwent surgical treatment for lung neoplasms and were diagnosed to have bronchopulmonary carcinoids were reviewed. Details concerning the clinical presentation, preoperative therapy, operative procedure, postoperative complications, and outcome were retrieved from the case records.

Sixteen patients who underwent surgical treatment were found to have bronchopulmonary carcinoids on histopathological examination. The median age of the patients was 34 years (range 18-62 years). There were 11 men and five women. All patients were symptomatic, and the median duration of symptoms was 12 months (range 6-72 months) before presentation. Six patients had received antitubercular treatment before presentation, and one patient had been treated with chemotherapy due to misdiagnosis. Surgical procedures included six pneumonectomies (one with carinoplasty), four bilobectomies, three lobectomies, and three bronchoplastic procedures (two with lobectomy and one with bilobectomy). There was no postoperative mortality; three patients had morbidity in the form of lobar collapse, prolonged pleural collection, and surgical site infection. With a median follow-up time of 11 months (range 2-85 months), all the 16 patients are alive and disease-free.

Delayed presentation and misdiagnosis of bronchial carcinoid are major concerns in North India. Adequate surgical resection can be performed without undue morbidity and is associated with good long-term results.