Completely Endoluminal Mucoepidermoid Carcinoma of the Trachea: Bronchoscopic Resection of the Tumor

A 63-year-old male, grocery store owner, presented to our OPD with persistent cough for 6 weeks and dyspnea on exertion for 2 weeks.At presentation, he had stridor at rest.A computed tomography (CT) scan of the chest showed a large intratracheal softtissue density in the lower trachea.Bronchoscopy revealed a mass lesion arising from the right posterolateral tracheal wall just above the carina, causing more than 50% luminal occlusion.Rigid bronchoscopic intubation was done using a 12 mm rigid barrel.Initially, the tumor was debulked using an electrocautery snare and extracted using 2.4 mm cryoprobe.Piecemeal cryo debulking of the residual tumor was performed and the base was ablated using an electrocautery probe.Post-procedure, complete luminal patency was achieved.Histopathologic examination confirmed it to be a low-grade mucoepidermoid carcinoma.A PET-CT scan performed later did not show any residual disease or uptake elsewhere in the body.After a multidisciplinary tumor board meeting, it was decided to keep the patient under close surveillance as the resection was complete and there was no residual disease at the base.At 3-months follow-up, he remains asymptomatic and surveillance bronchoscopy did not show any recurrence.