Discussion
Diagnosis With Brief Discussion
- Diagnosis
- Adenoid cystic carcinoma
- Radiologic Findings
- x-ray: A 24mm-sized nodule in the trachea.
CT: A 26-mm-sized tumor involving the intrathoracic trachea with both intraluminal and extraluminal components in a 59-year-old woman.
- Brief Review
- • Second common primary malignancy of the trachea
• Low-grade malignancy arising from submucosal glands
• Symptoms: Airway obstruction (dyspnea, wheezing, stridor), mucosal irritation (cough, hemoptysis), direct invasion (dysphagia)
• Treatment: Surgical excision, adjuvant radiation therapy
• Prognosis: Better than SCC, but late recurrence is relatively common after surgical resection
• CT findings
posterolateral wall of the trachea and mainstem bronchi
not encapsulated
marked propensity for endophytic spread along submucosal planes
often involve more than 180º of the airway circumference
longitudinal extent > transaxial extent
calcification is rare
- References
- CT of the Airways. 2008
AJR.2004; 183: 277-281
- Keywords