Bronchial carcinoid, nine years experience

ABSTRACT

Bronchopulmonary carcinoid tumors are low grade malignant tumors, of neuroendocrine origin. They are not associated with smoking. This work was conducted between 1995- 2003 to study bronchial carcinoid tumor regarding age and sex distribution, incidence rate, surgical techniques and patients survival. Eleven patients were included in this study. Bronchoscopic biopsy was obtained in 5 patients, transthoracic needle biopsy in 4 and the diagnosis was reached postoperatively in the remaining 2 patients. No carcinoid syndrome was found in any of our studied patients. There were 6 males and 5 females the mean tumor size was 2 X3.5 cm and the mean age was 32 years. Nine patients were symptomatic, and the tumor was discovered accidentally in the remaining 2. Bronchial carcinoid represented 22.4% of all carcinoid tumors and 8.2% of lung cancer patients referred to our institution during this period. Operative procedures performed were; lobectomy in 5, bilobectomy in 1, pneumonectomy in 3 and sleeve resection in 2 patients. Postoperative pathology revealed 10 patients with typical and I with atypical carcinoid. Morbidity was encountered in 3 patients, in the form of arrhythmia in 2 and air leak in 1 patient with no operative related mortality. Follow up data was available for 9 patients as 2 patients were lost to follow up. One patient with a typical carcinoid died 8 months postoperative from disseminated disease, the remaining 8 patients are alive disease free. Bronchial carcinoid is of low malignant potential with excellent survival following complete resection. Bronchoplastic procedures should be encouraged whenever indicated