Published online Oct 6, 2022. doi: 10.12998/wjcc.v10.i28.10279
Peer-review started: May 15, 2022
First decision: June 8, 2022
Revised: June 21, 2022
Accepted: August 25, 2022
Article in press: August 25, 2022
Published online: October 6, 2022
Processing time: 134 Days and 22.8 Hours
Schwannoma is a benign tumor originating from the peripheral nerve sheath. The clinical symptoms of tracheal schwannoma depend on the location of the tumor, and the most common clinical symptoms are cough and hemoptysis. The most effective treatment for benign tumors is complete resection of the primary lesion at an early stage. Our experience has demonstrated that primary tracheal schwannoma can be safely excised with a high-frequency electric knife in a minimally invasive manner.
We report a 61-year-old asymptomatic woman who underwent chest computed tomography (CT), which accidentally found an intraluminal tracheal mass without enlarged lymph nodes. Then, the patient underwent bronchoscopy, which found that the tracheal mass originated from the left wall of the upper trachea, was less than 1.5 cm in size, immovable, smooth and 4 cm away from the vocal cord, resulting in partial upper respiratory tract obstruction. Treatment was performed using an endoscopic resection for en bloc removal of the tracheal mass. The diagnosis was primary tracheal schwannoma. A follow-up was performed after endoscopic surgery, and bronchoscopy and thoracic CT were used to monitor whether there was a recurrence. At present, there is no evidence of recurrence, and the patient had a good quality of life. Endoscopic resection may be effective and safe in the treatment of primary tracheal schwannoma.
Primary tracheal schwannoma is a very rare benign tumor. In this case, we cured it by complete endoscopic resection.
Core Tip: We report a case diagnosed with primary tracheal schwannoma using endoscopic resection. Primary tracheal schwannoma is an extremely rare benign tumor of trachea. To the best of our knowledge, only a few cases have previously been reported. Cough and hemoptysis are common in this disease, but many patients are misdiagnosed as having asthma. Our experience shows that primary tracheal schwannoma can be safely and completely resected by a high-frequency electric knife in a minimally invasive manner.