Adenoid cystic carcinoma of the trachea mimicking asthma

• Published in: Respirology case reports 2023-05, Vol.11 (5), p.e01148-n/a
• Main Authors: Wickramasinghe, Sugeesha, Munavvar, Mohammed, Bittar, Mohamad Nidal, Jacob, Deepa, Nicholson, Sarah, Stockwell, Robert, Devineni, Thyusha
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: adenoid cystic carcinoma; Asthma; Biopsy; Cancer; Case Report; Case Reports; Dyspnea; Endoscopy; Exocrine glands; Head & neck cancer; Hypoxia; Lymphatic system; Medical prognosis; Radiation therapy; radiotherapy; stent; Surgeons; Surgery; trachea; Tumors; Ultrasonic imaging
• ISSN: 2051-3380; 2051-3380
• DOI: 10.1002/rcr2.1148

Adenoid cystic carcinoma (ACC) is primarily a salivary gland tumour that rarely involves the respiratory tract. A 58‐year‐old lady was admitted with worsening dyspnoea, cough and wheezing for 2 days. CT pulmonary angiogram was done due to persistent dyspnoea which revealed a 12 mm mass protruding into the posterior aspect of the trachea with multiple enlarged nodes. There was a complete collapse of the left lower lobe and right middle lobe with right upper lobe pulmonary embolism which was thought to be contributing to her hypoxia. She was struggling with secretion clearance and initial measures to clear her secretions were not successful. She was treated with a tracheal stent, followed by an interval endoscopic ultrasound‐guided biopsy of the tracheal wall lesion which revealed ACC. She was referred to cardiothoracic surgeons for excision of the tumour after discussing in MDT. Surgery followed by radiotherapy is advised in cases with incomplete resection margins. Adenoid cystic carcinoma is primarily a salivary gland tumour that rarely involves the respiratory tract. Here we describe a 58‐year‐old lady who had an adenoid cystic carcinoma that needed a tracheal stent insertion followed by radiotherapy.