Bronchoscopic Treatment with Argon Plasma Coagulation for Recurrent Typical Carcinoids: Report of a Case

Carcinoid tumors are recognized as a low-grade malignancy. Recurrence of bronchopulmonary typical carcinoids is extremely rare. We herein report a case of recurrent multiple intraluminal bronchial typical carcinoids that were successfully removed using argon plasma coagulation by bronchoscopic approach. A 48-year-old man, who had undergone resection of a pulmonary typical carcinoid 8 years previously, suffered from a productive cough and hemosputum for a month. Bronchoscopic examination revealed multiple intraluminal bronchial polypoid tumors. Based on histopathological findings, we diagnosed recurrence of typical carcinoids. The patient underwent argon plasma coagulation (APC) treatment by bronchoscopic approach several times. APC treatment is considered to be a safer method than conventional bronchoscopic treatment with neodymium- yttrium aluminum garnet (Nd-YAG) laser or electrocautery. After a series of treatments, his symptoms completely improved and no recurrence was found during 10 months of follow-up. In general, typical carcinoid is considered to be a low-grade malignancy. Therefore, typical carcinoid tumors grow slowly and rarely metastasize (5-10 %) (1, 2). Patients with a typical carcinoid have a good prognosis, with a survival rate at 10 years of up to 87 % (1, 2). We herein report a rare case of a patient with multiple metastatic intraluminal bronchial typical carcinoids. Bronchoscopic treatment with argon plasma coagulation (APC) is also described. Case Report