Primary tracheal carcinoid tumor misdiagnosed as asthma: a rare case report

About 2% of all lung malignancies are pulmonary carcinoid tumors, a family of neuroendocrine tumors. Rarely does a typical tracheal carcinoid of the trachea manifest as an endoluminal polypoidal tumor.

The author describe a 61-year-old nonsmoker who complained of growing nonexertional shortness of breath 5 years ago. She also had a wheezy chest and a dry cough. The results of the chest radiography and electrocardiogram revealed no noteworthy abnormalities. The results of the pulmonary function test supported the diagnosis of bronchial asthma. A patient's treatment has not advanced. After performing a bronchoscopy, a biopsy was taken and sent for pathological analysis. The endobronchial lining was found to have a subepithelial tumor infiltrate made up of nests of homogeneous bland cells with central nuclei and mild granular cytoplasm, according to histopathologic analysis. Considering all of these findings, the patient was diagnosed with a primary tracheal carcinoid tumor, which was misdiagnosed and treated as bronchial asthma.

People with stridor or trepopnea symptoms should undergo a computed tomography scan since central airway tumors can mimic the symptoms of bronchial asthma while a chest radiograph may be normal. Tracheal carcinoid that has not progressed to the mediastinum can be successfully removed with flexible bronchoscopy and electrocautery, but the excision site needs to be continuously watched for recurrence.