Tracheobronchopulmonary carcinoid tumors: analysis of 40 patients.

INTRODUCTION: Carcinoid tumors are a type of neuroendocrine tumors which usually involve the upper airways and the patients most often complain of cough and hemoptysis.

MATERIALS AND METHODS: This study was performed from 1990 through 2007 on 40 patients with carcinoid tumor who had been followed up for at least 3 years. The statistical analysis were based on tumor epidemiology, treatment and the 3-year survival. The factors influencing the survival were analyzed using SPSS and exact Fisher test.

RESULTS: M/F was 16/24 with mean age 34 years. Their most common symptoms were coughing (90%) . The left main bronchus was the most common site of involvement (25%). 95% of all the cases underwent surgery and 5% of the patients underwent chemoradiotherapy due to distant metastasis . The most common surgical procedure was lobectomy or biloectomy (57.8%). Bronchial sleeve resection was performed on 10.4% of the patients. The most common pathology was the typical form (90%) and 5% of the madiastinal lymph nodes were involvd all of the atypical type. Carcinoid syndrome was seen in one patient (2.5%) and post operative adjuvant treatment was done in 5% of the patients after surgery because of mediastinal lymph node involvement. Post operative recurrence occurred in one patient (2.6%) of the atypical form with mediastinal lymph nodes involvement. The most common complication of surgery was a long- term air leakage (10.4%) and the surgical death rate was 0%. 3-year survival was 92.5%. The factors influencing the survival included the pathological type, distant metastasis and mediastinal lymph node involvement.

CONCLUSION: Carcinoid tumors have mostly been responsive to surgical intervention, resulting in a long term survival.