Symptoms and signs and their prognostic value in tracheal carcinoma

Of all the 95 primary tracheal carcinomas diagnosed in Finland in 1967-1985, 72% were squamous cell carcinomas. Fifty-three percent were located in the lower third of the trachea. main symptoms were dyspnea, cough and hemoptysis. Fifty-nine percent of the patients developed extratracheal growth during the follow-up of 12 years, with lungs, neck, liver, and bones being the most common sites. In addition, autopsy revealed mediastinal metastases in 25% of patients. Vocal cord palsy at the time of diagnosis was present in 33%. The size and location of tumor in the trachea did not affect survival significantly. Patients with adenoid cystic carcinomas had the best prognosis.