Rapidly progressive squamous cell carcinoma in a tracheostomy-dependent patient: A case of delayed care and fatal outcome

Tracheostomy-dependent patients face heightened risks of airway complications, including malignancy. This case report describes a 62-year-old male with a 15-year tracheostomy history due to traumatic brain injury, who developed rapidly progressive ulcerative squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) at the tracheostomy site. Persistent hemoptysis and ulceration were initially managed as infection, delaying diagnostic biopsy. By the time SCC was confirmed, extensive local invasion and metastasis precluded curative treatment. Palliative radiotherapy and chemotherapy failed to halt progression, leading to death within 4 months of diagnosis. This case underscores the critical need for early malignancy surveillance in tracheostomy-dependent patients and the consequences of delayed intervention.