Bronchial carcinoid tumors: second primary neoplasms and outcomes of surgical treatment

To analyze determinants of prognosis in patients with bronchial carcinoid tumors treated surgically and the potential concomitance of such tumors with second primary neoplasms.

This was a retrospective analysis of 51 bronchial carcinoid tumors treated surgically between 2007 and 2016. Disease-free survival (DFS) was calculated by the Kaplan-Meier method, and determinants of prognosis were evaluated. Primary neoplasms that were concomitant with the bronchial carcinoid tumors were identified by reviewing patient charts.

The median age was 51.2 years, 58.8% of the patients were female, and 52.9% were asymptomatic. The most common histology was typical carcinoid (in 80.4%). Five-year DFS was 89.8%. Ki-67 expression was determined in 27 patients, and five-year DFS was better among the patients in whom Ki-67 expression was ≤ 5% than among those in whom it was > 5% (100% vs. 47.6%; p = 0.01). Concomitant primary neoplasms were observed in 14 (27.4%) of the 51 cases. Among the concomitant primary neoplasms that were malignant, the most common was lung adenocarcinoma, which was observed in 3 cases. Concomitant primary neoplasms were more common in patients who were asymptomatic and in those with small tumors.

Surgical resection is the mainstay treatment of bronchopulmonary carcinoid tumors and confers a good prognosis. Bronchial carcinoid tumors are likely to be accompanied by second primary neoplasms.