Clinical Efficacy of Treatment for Primary Tracheal Tumors by Flexible Bronchoscopy: Airway Stenosis Recanalization and Quality of Life
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EXPERIMENTAL AND THERAPEUTIC MEDICINE 20: 2099-2105, 2020 Clinical efficacy of treatment for primary tracheal tumors by flexible bronchoscopy: Airway stenosis recanalization and quality of life ZE‑RUI HAO1,2, ZHOU‑HONG YAO1, JING‑QUAN ZHAO3, DE-ZHI LI1, YUN‑YAN WAN1, YAN‑MENG KANG4 and DIAN‑JIE LIN1 1Department of Respiratory Medicine, Shandong Provincial Hospital Affiliated to Shandong University, Jinan, Shandong 250021; 2Department of Respiratory Medicine, The Second People's Hospital of Liaocheng Affiliated to Taishan Medical College, Linqing, Shandong 252601; 3Department of Respiratory Medicine, Beijing Tsinghua Changgung Hospital, Beijing 102218; 4Department of Respiratory Medicine, Qianfo Mountain Hospital, School of Medicine, Shandong University, Jinan, Shandong 250014, P.R. China Received April 10, 2019; Accepted January 6, 2020 DOI: 10.3892/etm.2020.8900 Abstract. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the rate of primary tracheal tumors is approximately one case effectiveness of interventional treatment of primary tracheal per million. Of all tracheal tumors, the rate of malignancy is tumors through flexible bronchoscopy. The clinical data of ~90% in adults and ~30% in children. Tracheal malignancies 38 patients with primary tracheal tumours who underwent account for ~0.2% of all respiratory‑tract cancers and <0.05% flexible bronchoscopy intervention therapy between January of all malignancies (1‑4). Treatments of common tracheal 2011 and January 2017 were retrospectively analyzed. The tumors include surgical resection, radiotherapy and chemo- average time interval from onset of symptoms to the appear- therapy. Surgery has been considered the treatment of choice ance of actual clinical manifestations in the 38 patients ranged for a long time (5). The 5‑year survival rate for patients treated from 0 to 60 months, with an average of 8.1±11.6 months and a with surgical resection of tracheal malignant tumors has been median of 4.2 months. The rate of misdiagnosis at the first visit reported to be 50%, compared to only 10% for non‑surgically was 36.8% (14/38). After interventional treatment, the overall treated patients (6). However, this procedure has been limited efficiency (complete + partial response) of airway stenosis due to the high risk associated with anaesthesia and surgery, recanalization in the 38 patients was 89.5%. In 3 patients with the length of the tracheal resection and the extent of the lesion. benign tumors, the anhelation score was reduced following Two large-sample studies reported a rate of surgical interven- treatment (1.00±0.77 vs. 3.13±1.21 at the pre‑treatment stage; tions of only 11.6 and 6.9% (2,3). P<0.001). The overall survival rates of the 35 patients at 1, 3 With the development of endoscopic intervention tech- and 5 years were 69.3, 48.7 and 20.3%, respectively. Therefore, niques, the treatment of tracheal tumors has also advanced. flexible bronchoscopic intervention may effectively smoothen As a result, interventional therapies including broncho- the airways of patients and relieve the symptoms of anhela- scopic stent placement, electric snare resection, argon tion. Combining radiotherapy and chemotherapy may improve plasma coagulation knife (APC), laser treatment and CO2 patient prognosis and safety. cryotherapy have been applied to the treatment of tracheal tumors. In particular, the application of bronchoscopic Introduction intervention prior to surgical treatment has been indicated to reduce tumors, improve airway stenosis, relieve anhela- Primary tracheal tumor is a rare type of respiratory-tract tion and reduce the risk of surgery. In the present study, cancer. According to worldwide statistics, the annual incidence the clinical data and therapeutic effects of comprehensive interventional treatment with a flexible bronchoscope in patients with primary tracheal tumors at the Shandong Provincial Hospital (Jinan, China) in the past 7 years were retrospectively analysed. Correspondence to: Dr Dian‑Jie Lin, Department of Respiratory Medicine, Shandong Provincial Hospital Affiliated to Shandong University, 324 Jingwu Road, Jinan, Shandong 250021, P.R. China Patients and methods E‑mail: [email protected] Patients. Patients with primary tracheal tumors who under- Key words: clinical analysis, primary tracheal tumors, flexible went bronchoscopic intervention between January 2011 and bronchoscopy, radiotherapy, chemotherapy December 2017 at Shandong Provincial Hospital Affiliated to Shandong University (Jinan, China) were considered for inclu- sion. All patients provided written informed consent. This 2100 HAO et al: TREATMENT OF PRIMARY TRACHEAL TUMORS study was approved by the Ethics Committee of the Shandong Results Provincial Hospital Affiliated to Shandong University (Jinan, China). Baseline characteristics and circumstances of misdi‑ All patients had been diagnosed via bronchoscopic agnosis. The basic clinical data of the 38 patients who biopsy. Except for secondary tracheal tumors, all patients had underwent comprehensive interventional therapy along with undergone interventional treatment with a flexible broncho- flexible bronchoscopy are provided in Table I (age 24‑76; scope (IT260 Bronchovideoscope; Olympus Corp.). Of these male:female=23:15). Clinical symptoms mainly included patients, 3 had benign tumors, including 1 with schwannoma, a progressively worsening cough, dyspnea and wheezing. 1 with glomus tumor and 1 with hamartoma. In addition, 35 Approximately half of the patients developed a small amount of patients had malignant tumors, including 1 with squamous cell haemoptysis, with none developing severe haemoptysis. Due to carcinoma with short-term recurrence after surgery and 1 with the occurrence of non‑specific symptoms, there was a high rate adenoid cystic carcinoma that had relapsed 30 months after of misdiagnosis, and 36.8% (14/38) of patients were misdiag- surgery plus radiotherapy; the remaining 33 patients presented nosed at the first visit as having bronchial asthma or bronchitis with tracheal malignant tumors that were not eligible for (see Table II for details). The time from onset to diagnosis was surgical resection. 0‑60 months, with an average of 8.1±11.6 months and a median of 4.2 months. Thoracic X‑rays were performed in 8 patients, Treatment methods. An individualized treatment plan was of which 2 patients (25%) displayed tracheal/superior medias- selected according to the location, size, shape and other tinum lesions. Prior to treatment, all 38 patients had tracheal characteristics of the primary tracheal tumor. A tracheal tumors, as demonstrated by chest CT. Tracheal tumor sites were stent, high-frequency electric trap, electric knife, laser, APC, more common in the middle and lower segments, accounting cryotherapy and balloon dilation were used. In cases with a for 84.2% (32/38) of all tumor sites. A total of 6 patients had more pronounced tracheal stenosis (stenosis >50%), parallel tracheal tumors in the upper segment, accounting for only APC/laser and cryotherapy was performed, as the numerous 15.8% of all patients. Furthermore, 35 (92.1%) underwent lesions were difficult to completely remove, which had resulted bronchoscopy, which demonstrated that >50% of the lumen in breathing difficulty and challenging tracheal stent place- was obstructed. In 20 patients (57.1%); >75% of the lumen ment. In cases with limited tumor lesions, the basement may be was obstructed. Serious obstruction of the lumen may lead to ligated and the tumur may be removed using a high‑frequency dysfunction in ventilation. electric snare and electric knife. The patient may then be treated with APC or cryotherapy to cauterize the basal area. In Comparison of the different pathological subtypes of tracheal this way, 22 patients underwent bronchoscopy within 1 week malignant tumors in 35 patients. Benign and malignant primary after surgery and 17 patients underwent a second intervention tracheal tumors are clinically rare, with malignant tumors for further removal of tumors present in the open airways. being more common than benign ones in adults. A total of 3 After interventional treatment of patients with malignant cases of benign tumor were identified among the 38 patients, tumors, most of the follow-up patients underwent radiation namely peripheral glioma, angiomyoneuroma and hamartoma. therapy and/or chemotherapy. Certain patients discontinued The tracheal tumors affecting the remaining 35 patients were due to intolerance to chemoradiography or by choice. All malignant and were most commonly squamous cell carcinoma patients were followed up at the outpatient or inpatient clinics and adenoid cystic carcinoma, with squamous cell carcinoma or via telephone. accounting for 40.0% (14/35) and adenoid cystic carcinoma accounting for 37.1% (13/35). Overall, compared to other types Efficacy assessment. Differences in airway stenosis and of cancer, squamous cell carcinoma exhibited a stronger asso- anhelation prior to and after bronchoscopic intervention were ciation with males and smoking. The age of onset for squamous evaluated and a follow-up analysis of patient survival was cell carcinoma was higher than that for adenoid cystic carci- performed. i) The evaluation criteria of the curative effects noma (Table III). Patients suffering from tracheal malignant of airway stenosis recanalization included the following: tumors underwent immunohistochemical examination for Complete response (CR), partial response (PR), mild response different markers. Among them, 83.3% (15/18) were