Successful Treatment of Recurrent Atypical Lung Carcinoid Tumor with Photodynamic Therapy: A Case Report

Lung carcinoid tumors are rare neuroendocrine tumors. Traditional treatments like surgery, radiotherapy, and chemotherapy have limited efficacy for some patients (e.g., inoperable or recurrent cases). Photodynamic therapy (PDT), a minimally - invasive and highly - targeted treatment, shows potential in treating lung carcinoid tumors. This article details a pathologically - confirmed case of an atypical lung carcinoid tumor. After surgical resection, the recurrence and metastasis were successfully treated with PDT using intravenous hematoporphyrin. Eleven months post-treatment, bronchoscopy revealed smooth mucosa at the lesion site. The patient showed no signs of recurrence during the 11-month follow-up period, hemoptysis symptoms disappeared, and the patient recovered well with a KPS of 100 and a score of 0 for shortness of breath. This case report indicates that PDT has significant local control and a good safety profile in lung carcinoid tumors.