Article Text
Abstract
A 66-year-old male patient who had received chemoradiotherapy (CRT) for laryngeal cancer 2 years ago visited a local doctor complaining of dyspnoea and wheezing. CT scan showed narrowing of the trachea caused by a tumour. We intubated the trachea over the tumour using a bronchoscope. A week later, the truncated tracheal tumour obstructed the tracheal tube, compromising the patient’s breathing. We removed the obstructed tube and inserted a new one. We submitted the tissue from the tube to a pathologist. Histopathological diagnosis was pleomorphic carcinoma, a subtype of sarcomatoid carcinoma. The mechanism of epithelial–mesenchymal transition (EMT) occurring after CRT was detected in the tumour. Because he had undergone CRT for laryngeal cancer, surgery was not indicated, and we started radiation therapy. Sarcomatoid carcinomas including pleomorphic carcinoma of the trachea are extremely rare, with few reported cases, and EMT is associated with this histological type and CRT.
- respiratory cancer
- palliative care
- pathology
- smoking and tobacco
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Footnotes
Contributors HS treated the patient and wrote this case report. NU and TS made a pathological diagnosis of the patient. Makoto Maemodo provided guidance for this case report.
Funding The authors have not declared a specific grant for this research from any funding agency in the public, commercial or not-for-profit sectors.
Competing interests None declared.
Patient consent for publication Obtained.
Provenance and peer review Not commissioned; externally peer reviewed.