[Surgical treatment of carcinoid bronchial tumor]

During the period 1977-95, 20 patients underwent surgery for carcinoid tumour in the bronchus at the University Hospital of Trondheim (n = 16) and Innherred County Hospital (n = 4). All the tumours were typical carcinoid tumours. Median age of the patients was 41 years (range 16-78 years). The observation period averaged 7.5 years (0.5-18 years). The most common symptoms were cough, dyspnoea, wheezing and pneumonia. One patient had carcinoid syndrome. Chest X-ray were negative in three of the patients. Bronchoscopy was carried out in all the patients. Biopsies were taken in ten of them, and the diagnosis was conclusive in five cases. Lateral thoracotomy was performed in all the patients. The surgical procedures were lobectomy (15), segmental/wedge resection (3), bronchotomy with tumour resection (1) and sleeve resection (1). 19 patients were still alive at the time of follow-up, with no tumour recurrence. One patient died from cerebral stroke eight years after surgery. Good long-term results were found, and the study supports the use of limited lung resection or bronchoplasty operations to treat carcinoid tumour in the bronchus if the primary tumour is localised and there are no metastases.