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Endobronchial metastatic disease: Analysis of 32 cases
Author(s) -
Salud Antonieta,
Porcel José Manuel,
Rovirosa Angels,
Bellmunt Joaquim
Publication year - 1996
Publication title -
journal of surgical oncology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.201
H-Index - 111
eISSN - 1096-9098
pISSN - 0022-4790
DOI - 10.1002/(sici)1096-9098(199608)62:4<249::aid-jso4>3.0.co;2-6
Subject(s) - medicine , disease , oncology , pathology
Endobronchial metastasis (EM) from nonpulmonary tumors is uncommon. A 9‐year retrospective study at the University Hospital Vall d'Hebron (Barcelona, Spain) identified 32 patients with EM. All but four cases were diagnosed by fiberoptic bronchoscopy with bronchial biopsy. Primary tumors included the following types: breast cancer (20), colorectal cancer (3), melanoma (2), gastric cancer (1), neuroblastoma of the olfactory nerve (1), abdominal leiomyosarcoma (1), hypernephroma (1), endometrial carcinoma (1), papillary thyroid cancer (1), and hepatocarcinoma (1). Median age at diagnosis of EM was 58.7 years and median interval from the diagnosis of the primary tumor to the diagnosis of EM was 50.4 months. Seventeen patients (53%) had evidence of other metastatic sites at endobronchial relapse. The more common clinical manifestations included cough (37.5%), haemoptysis (28%), dyspnea (18.7%), and recurrent pulmonary infections (6.2%). Eight patients (25%) had no symptoms. There appears to be a predilection for metastatic involvement of the right and left upper lobe bronchus. Treatment was instituted in 20 patients, and their median survival was 11 months, in comparison with the 3 months found in 12 patients who received only palliative therapy because of advanced disseminated disease. Breast cancer is the most common tumor causing EM. The prognosis of patients with EM depends on the type of the primary tumor and the presence of other metastatic sites. Treatment must be individualized. © 1996 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.