Our experience with primary malignant tumors in the cervical trachea in adults

We report three patients who were operated on at the Centre for Thoracic Surgery of the National Institute for Tuberculosis, Lung Diseases and Thoracic Surgery in Vyšné Hágy for primary malignant tumour of the cervical segment of the trachea during the last seven years. The first patient had an extremely rare primary chondrosarcoma of the trachea, the other two cases were patients with primary adenoid cystic carcinoma of the trachea. We discuss the clinical presentation as well as the strategy and outcome of surgical and nonsurgical oncological treatment. We consider the presented topic important because primary malignant tracheal tumors are rare and their symptoms may mimic common benign airway diseases. This fact may slow down their diagnosis and delay or exclude their treatment.