Unresectable Primary Tracheal Synovial Sarcoma

Synovial sarcoma (SS) comprises less than 1% of head and neck cancers, and less than five cases of adult primary tracheal SS have been described. This case describes a patient encountered at a community-based academic hospital, and retrospective chart review was performed for data collection. A woman in her forties presented with shortness of breath due to a superior mediastinal mass found to be an unresectable primary tracheal SS. Primary treatment resorted to curative-intent radiation therapy. Subsequent metastasis required systemic chemotherapy with pazopanib. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first reported case of this nature and adds to understanding the presentation, diagnosis, natural history, and treatment outcomes of primary tracheal SS. This case was exempt from review by the institutional review board and complied with privacy policy standards.