Primary carcinomas of the trachea: Natural history, treatment and results

• Published in: Asia-Pacific journal of clinical oncology Vol. 1; no. 1; pp. 41 - 46
• Main Authors: WU, Kai-Liang, JIANG, Guo-Liang, FU, Xiao-Long, ZHOU, Yuen-Zhong, LIU, Tai-Fu
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Melbourne, Australia Blackwell Science Pty 01.03.2005
• Subjects: radiotherapy; surgery; tracheal tumors
• ISSN: 1743-7555; 1743-7563
• DOI: 10.1111/j.1743-7563.2005.00005.x

Primary tracheal tumors are rare. Understanding of the disease is limited and the optimal management has not been determined. To discover its natural history, and to confirm the efficacy of our treatment, we retrospectively analyzed the treatment outcome of 40 patients who were treated in our hospitals. Twenty‐eight patients were male and 12 female, with a median age of 47 years. Fifteen patients had adenoid cystic carcinoma (ACC), 14 squamous cell carcinoma, eight adenocarcinoma, two small cell carcinoma, and one mucoepidermoid carcinoma. Thirty‐two of the 40 patients underwent surgical resection and postoperative radiotherapy. Six patients were treated with radiotherapy only and two patients with surgical resection alone. The median survival time was 3.3 years. The survival rates at 1 year, 5 years and 10 years were 86, 59, and 29%, respectively. Four patients were found to develop secondary primary carcinomas in five locations. In conclusion, surgical resection and adjuvant radiotherapy was an effective mode of treatment for locally advanced tracheal carcinoma. Although late local recurrence after the first course of treatment was a feature of this tumor, excellent long‐term palliation was commonly achieved after a 2nd course of treatment.