Original articleGeneral thoracicUncommon Primary Tracheal Tumors
Section snippets
Patient Selection
A retrospective analysis was conducted at Massachusetts General Hospital of all primary tracheal tumors since 1962. Medical records and Department of Pathology databases were searched. Pathology reports, operative reports, and hospital charts were reviewed. Squamous cell and adenoid cystic carcinomas as well as tumors of adjacent anatomic regions, the glottic larynx, and those extending from mainstem bronchi or lung to the carina were excluded. Squamous papillomas and tumors of the subglottic
Results
Between 1962 and 2002, 357 patients were evaluated for primary tracheal tumors. A tracheal histologic appearance other than squamous cell or adenoid cystic carcinoma was found in 87 patients. Three additional patients had squamous cell carcinoma and a second histologic diagnosis (small cell carcinoma in 2 and mucoepidermoid carcinoma in 1); the procedures of these patients are counted, but they were excluded from survival analysis. There were 54 men and 36 women with a mean age of 43 years
Comment
Uncommon tumors of the trachea in 90 patients with 33 different histologic diagnoses were reviewed to emphasize similarities and differences in presentation and management. On the basis of our observations, these tumors may be grouped into five main types. Benign tumors display heterogeneous histologic appearance and do not recur after complete resection unless they transform into malignant tumors (1 observation). Carcinoid tumors, as elsewhere in the bronchial tree and lung, are low-grade
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