Clinicopathological characteristics of patients with primary tracheal tumors: Analysis of eighty-nine cases

Primary tracheal tumors are very rare and the literature on this subject is limited. The most common histological type of primary tracheal tumors is squamous cell carcinoma (SCC), followed by adenoid cystic carcinoma (ACC). Limited knowledge exists regarding the behavior and outcomes of different histological types of tracheal cancers. The present study aimed to address this gap by assessing the significance of the histological type of primary tracheal tumors based on our own data and to review the literature.

We carried out a retrospective analysis of 89 patients with primary tracheal tumors treated at the Maria Sklodowska-Curie National Research Institute of Oncology in Warsaw, Poland, between 2000 and 2016. The study assessed patient demographics, tumor characteristics and treatment, with a focus on SCC, ACC, and other histological types. Different histological types were compared in terms of overall survival, disease-free survival, and progression-free survival.

SCC was the most frequently diagnosed histological type (56.2%), followed by ACC (21.3%). Patients with SCC were typically older (78% over 60 years), predominantly male (66%), and associated with smoking. In contrast, the ACC had a more balanced gender distribution and did not correlate with smoking. ACC displayed a significantly better prognosis, with a median overall survival of 129.4 months, compared with 9.0 months for SCC.

Histological type plays a crucial role in the prognosis of primary tracheal tumors. ACC demonstrated a more favorable outcome compared with SCC.