[Diagnostic and therapeutic management of operable bronchopulmonary carcinoid tumours]

Bronchial carcinoid tumours (CT), divided into typical carcinoid (TC) or atypical carcinoid (AC), are rare tumours whose therapeutic management remains unspecified.

Retrospective study collecting cases of bronchial CT operated at the thoracic surgery department of Abderrahmane-Mami hospital of Ariana and recruited from the pneumology departments of Northern Tunisia, during a 12-year period.

Ninety patients were collected (74 cases of TC and 16 cases of AC). The mean age was 45 years and the sex ratio H/F=0.5. The chest X-ray was normal in 11 cases, as well as flexible bronchoscopy in seven cases. The tumour was classified: stage IA (10 cases), IIA (28 cases), IIB (31 cases), IIIA (15 cases) and IIIB (six cases). Surgery resulted in a complete resection in 78 patients, an extensive resection in six patients, and a conservative resection in six patients. Adjuvant chemotherapy was given in 10 patients. The survival was 84% at five years and 42% at 10 years.

The prognosis of CT depends directly on the histological subtype. It is excellent for TC after complete resection, unlike ACs that are similar to well-differentiated bronchial carcinomas.