Abstract
Tumor of the trachea can cause dyspnea requiring prompt surgery. A 67 year old man had tumor of the trachea which was difficult to pathologically diagnose. It was finally diagnosed as mucoepidermoid carcinoma by electron microscopy.
This patient had been treated for 2 months for dyspnea believed to be due to asthma. He was introduced to the internal medicine department of our hospital and came to us for otolaryngological examination.
We could easily see the tumor with an indirect laryngoscope. It was located 2-3cm below the glottis, was round, pedicled, smooth and occupied almost the entire tracheal lumen. The tumor was removed after tracheotomy under a local anesthesia. The pathological dianosis was clear cell carcinoma with surgical positive margins. A more extensive operation combined with laryngectomy and dissection of the paratracheal lymph nodes was performed.
Mucoepidermoid carcinoma was suspected pathologically by special stainings. The electron microscopic examination revealed mucoepidermoid carcinoma, because epidermoid cells and adenomatous cells were observed from the specimen.
We considered that this tumor was an atypical mucoepidermoid carcinoma.
