A Case of Tracheal Adenocarcinoma Displaying Longitudinal Infiltration and Accompanying Esophageal Cancer

Abstract

A 70-year-old male with tracheal adenocarcinoma displaying longitudinal infiltration is reported. The patient had complained of sputum since June 1986. In May 1988, adenocarcinoma cells were detected by sputum cytology, though his chest X-ray showed no abnormal findings. Fiber-optic bronchoscopy revealed multiple nodular lesions, less than 5 mm in size, in the tracheal wall. Transbronchial biopsy and brushing cytology yielded a diagnosis of poorly differentiated tubular adenocarcinoma, which was classified as bronchial gland cell type according to cell subtyping. This tumor originated from the lateral wall of the trachea approximately 3 cm above the carina and extended by longitudinal tumor infiltration. This case was accompanied by esophageal cancer. However, these two tumors were considered to be synchronous double cancers, since the histologic type of the esophageal cancer was squamous cell carcinoma.