2022 Volume 44 Issue 1 Pages 69-72
Background. Tracheal metastases of lung cancer are rare. Furthermore, developmental modes of tracheal and bronchial metastases are difficult to determine. Case. An 81-year-old woman diagnosed with small-cell lung carcinoma underwent right lower lobectomy (stage IA3). Six months after the surgery, she visited our hospital with dyspnea and wheeze. Chest computed tomography and a bronchoscopic examination revealed multiple masses in the trachea and confirmed the recurrence of small-cell lung cancer. She underwent bronchoscopic partial resection and palliative radiation therapy as no other recurrent lesions were found. Subsequently, only tracheal and bronchial lesions recurred repeatedly; therefore, local therapy was performed twice. She survived for 21 months from the first recurrence without chemotherapy (at her request). Based on the pathological findings, we considered the possibility of the tracheal metastases spreading through the submucosal lymphatics. Conclusion. We herein report a rare case of small-cell lung cancer with tracheal and bronchial metastases that might have spread via the lymphatics.
