Bronchial carcinoid tumors: A rare malignant tumor

Abstract

Bronchial carcinoid tumors (BCTs) are an uncommon group of lung tumors. They commonly affect the young adults and the middle aged, the same age group affected by other more common chronic lung conditions such as pulmonary tuberculosis. Diagnosis is commonly missed or delayed due to a low index of suspicion. Surgery is the mainstay of treatment with an excellent outcome. There are many reports of this rare group of tumors in the Western and Asian regions. The only report around our sub‑region is a post mortem report of an atypical variant. We wish to report a case of the typical variant and increase our index of suspicion. A 25‑year‑old male presented with a 4 years history of cough and haemoptysis. He was repeatedly treated for bronchial asthma and pulmonary tuberculosis with no improvement of symptoms. Chest X‑ray and chest computed tomography scan revealed a left upper lobe tumor. Histology reported a typical variant of BCT which was confirmed by immunohistochemistry. He had a left upper lobectomy and has done excellently well thereafter. A high index of suspicion is needed to reduce the risk of missing or delaying the diagnosis.

Key words: Bronchial carcinoid tumor, diagnosis, outcome, treatment, West Africa