Tracheal Chondrosarcoma: A Case Report and Discussion

Tracheal chondrosarcoma is an exceedingly rare malignant tumor arising from the cartilage parts of the trachea, with less than 40 cases described in the English literature. We aim to explore the current literature on the topic and present 1 more case of tracheal chondrosarcoma in a 69-year-old male.

A 69-year-old male presented with upper airway obstruction and difficulty breathing. He also reported recent unintentional weight loss and night sweats. A computed tomography (CT) scan upon hospitalization revealed a large tumor formation that was obstructing the tracheal lumen and an interventional bronchoscopy for tumor debulking was performed. The histological examination determined it was a case of a high grade (G3) chondrosarcoma of the trachea. Later on, the patient underwent tracheal resection and reconstruction after which he was referred to radiation oncology for radiotherapy. Three months after concluding radiotherapy, a PET/CT scan showed no evidence of local recurrence or distant metastasis. On the fifth month post-radiation due to complaints of purulent discharge from the tracheostomy, a new biopsy was performed which determined there was local recurrence of the tumor. The patient was started on first-line chemotherapy with paclitaxel monotherapy. Restaging with CT scan was done after the fourth and sixth cycles, with inconclusive data for progression. Currently, he is scheduled to receive 4 more cycles' paclitaxel monotherapy and then be reevaluated.

The literature on the topic is still scarce and more cases reported are needed in order to optimize the treatment of our patients and achieve the best outcome.