Intrathoracic Endotracheal Metastasis from Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma:A First Case Report and Review of the Literature

• Published in: Case reports in oncology Vol. 3; no. 2; pp. 160 - 164
• Main Authors: Lu, Heming, Chen, Jiaxin, Xie, Yanyan, Cheng, Jinjian, Hao, Yanrong, Peng, Luxing, Pang, Qiang, Deng, Shan, Gu, Junzhao, Qin, Jian, Lu, Zhiping
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Basel, Switzerland S. Karger AG 05.05.2010; Karger Publishers
• Subjects: Endotracheal malignancy; Metastatic disease; Nasopharyngeal carcinoma; Published: May 2010; Radiotherapy; Nasopharyngeal carcinoma; Metastatic disease; Radiotherapy; Endotracheal malignancy
• ISSN: 1662-6575; 1662-6575
• DOI: 10.1159/000314233

Intrathoracic endotracheal metastasis from a very distant site is extremely rare. We report the first case of such a disease in a 68-year-old man with nasopharyngeal carcinoma who presented with a cough and hemoptysis 34 months after finishing radiotherapy. Prior to tracheal metastasis, he developed a solitary metastasis in the lung and underwent chemotherapy followed by radiotherapy. Computed tomography showed the presence of an enlarged lymph node in the para-aortic arch. Fiberoptic bronchoscopy revealed an endotracheal tumor 1 cm above the carina. Histological and immunohistochemical analyses confirmed its nasopharyngeal origin. He was treated with conventional radiotherapy and three-dimensional conformal radiotherapy; complete tumor remission was achieved. He died of nonmalignant disease with no signs of tumor recurrence 2 years after treatment completion. Radiotherapy may be an appropriate management approach to achieve long-term tumor control for this disease.