Seven-Year Survival of a Patient with Primary Tracheal Squamous Cell Carcinoma after Surgery: A Case Report

The primary tracheal cancers are very rare, and squamous cell carcinoma is its most common form, especially in smokers. Due to the late presentation of symptoms, these tumors are usually diagnosed too late, and thus, they have poor survival. The gold standard protocol for these cancers is surgical excision and adjuvant radiotherapy. Primary radiotherapy is applied for the advanced and inoperable patients. In this study, we present the case of a 78-year-old woman with a history of heavy smoking, coughing, and dyspnea for a long time. During the diagnostic evaluations, bronchoscopy was carried out and a vegetated tumor was observed about 5 cm below the vocal cords. The patient was referred to the Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery, Ghaem Hospital of Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Iran, for surgical management. The tumor was removed with rigid bronchoscopy, and her dyspnea temporarily improved. The pathology report indicated that the patient was suffering from squamous carcinoma. Therefore, she required reoperation to excise the invaded trachea with a tumor-free margin. Ultimately, considering no marginal involvement, lymphatic metastasis, or distant metastasis, the patient was discharged and referred to receive additional oncological treatments with the recommendation of annual surveillance bronchoscopy. Seven years after the operation, the patient is still alive and healthy without any local recurrence or metastasis at the age of 82.