• Brianne Barnett Roby, Dennis Drehner, and James D Sidman.
• Pediatric ENT Associates, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA. barne284@umn.edu
• Arch. Otolaryngol. Head Neck Surg. 2011 Sep 1; 137 (9): 925-9.

ObjectivesTo report the pathologic findings in cases involving endotracheal and endobronchial tumors in the pediatric population and to describe the presenting symptoms and treatment modalities for endotracheal and endobronchial tumors.DesignRetrospective chart review.SettingTertiary care children's hospital.PatientsThe study included 14 patients with endotracheal and endobronchial tumors.Main Outcome MeasuresPatients were selected if bronchoscopy was performed to obtain biopsy specimens from the trachea or bronchus.ResultsThere were 14 cases that met the inclusion criteria between 1993 and 2009. The patients ranged in age from 4 to 18 years. The most common presenting symptom was recurrent pneumonia (n = 6), followed by wheezing or asthma that was unresponsive to treatment (n = 4). Nine lesions (64%) were malignant and 5 (36%) were benign. Of the malignant tumors, 5 (55%) were carcinoid, 3 (33%) were mucoepidermoid carcinoma, and 1 was adenoid cystic carcinoma. There were 1 or 2 cases of each of the following benign to intermediate malignant potential lesions: histoplasmosis nodules, chondroid hamartoma, pulmonary chondroma, and inflammatory myofibroblastic tumor. In 12 cases, definitive treatment included surgical resection. Three of these cases required postoperative chemotherapy and radiotherapy.ConclusionsThe results of this series suggest that in the pediatric population tracheal and endobronchial tumors are most likely to be carcinoid tumors or mucoepidermoid carcinomas, both malignant processes. For patients with recurrent pneumonias or chronic wheezing, an occult tumor is a diagnostic consideration that may require additional studies.

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