[Endobronchial metastasis. Clinical aspects, diagnosis and course in a series of 27 cases]

Our 10-year experience is reviewed of 27 cases of endobronchial metastasis diagnosed by bronchoscopy. Primary tumors were breast (15 cases), kidney, bladder, rectum and melanoma (two cases each), and stomach, gingiva, amygdala and penis (one case each). Their presentation was prior to primary neoplasm in two patients, simultaneously in three, and posterior in the remaining patients (mean 64 +/- 52 months). Half of patients also had extrathoracic metastasis. In cases of breast cancer systemic chemotherapy was administered and the median survival rate was 24 months, significantly longer than in the remaining group (3 months); in the later, symptomatic therapy predominated due to the common involvement of lung parenchyma and functional deterioration of patients.