BRONCHOSCOPIC THERAPY IN PATIENTS WITH INTRALUMINAL TYPICAL BRONCHIAL CARCINOID

Objective: To study the efficacy of bronchoscopic therapy in patients with intraluminal typical bronchial carcinoid. Design: Retrospective analysis of the data of patients with bronchial carcinoid, treated primarily with bronchoscopic techniques such as Nd-YAG laser in various hospitals in the Netherlands. Subjects: Eleven patients with pulmonary complaints, ages 22 to 60 years, who were found to have intraluminal typical bronchial carcinoid. Bronchoscopic interventions: Six of the 11 patients received Nd-YAG laser treatments, one received Nd-YAG laser plus photodynamic therapy, and the other four had mechanical tumor removal. Results: Six patients were surgically treated after bron- choscopic therapy. The resected specimens showed no residual carcinoid. Median follow-up has been 70 months (range, 9 to 170 months). Five patients were not surgically treated after bronchoscopic therapy, Follow-up has been 27 to 246 months (median, 47 months) without signs of recurrence. Conclusions: In 11 patients with typical, intraluminal, bronchial carcinoids, bronchoscopic treatment seemed to result in excellent local control, with surgical proof of cure in 6 of 11 patients, Bronchoscopic approach may provide a tissue-sparing alternative for bronchoplastic surgery in a subset of patients with typical intraluminal bronchial carcinoids.