Tracheal Cancer
It mainly affects smokers, usually between 40
and 60 years old.
The trachea connects the lungs to the larynx and so the larynx to the nose.
Tumors of the trachea and main bronchi are really rare; however, more than 90 percent of primary tumors of the trachea and main bronchi in adults are malignant.
The clinical presentation in which these types of tumors debut can be variable:
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Upper airway obstruction; causing dyspnea, noisy breathing, and stridor.
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Irritation and ulceration of mucous membranes, manifested by cough and hemoptysis (expectoration of blood).
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Direct invasion of adjacent organs, recurrent paralysis, and dysphagia.
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Distant metastasis.
Most patients are treated for asthma or chronic bronchitis, so the diagnosis of tracheal and bronchial tumors is often made late.
Types of tracheal cancer
There are two types of primary tracheal tumors:
Squamous cell cancer.
This is the most common type of tracheal tumor. It is almost always associated with smoking. This tumor grows rapidly and by the time it is discovered, in half of the cases, it is already too large to be removed.
Adenoid cystic carcinoma.
This tracheal tumor grows much more slowly than squamous cell cancer. It is not related to smoking, and men and women have the same risk of developing it.
Diagnosis and Treatment
For the correct diagnosis of tracheal cancer, a simple chest X-ray is required, as well as thoraco-abdominal CT; and in specific cases PET/CT.
It is also important to perform a diagnostic bronchoscopy to take a biopsy and assess the local extension of the tumor.
The treatment of tracheal and main bronchus tumors depends to a great extent on their location and extension.
Such treatment ranges from prosthesis placement to resection with complex reconstruction of the airway.
Surgical resection is the treatment of choice, and in some cases, it can be complemented with radiotherapy and chemotherapy.
