A case of pulmonary metastasis from adenoid cystic carcinoma of the trachea

: A 33-year-old woman with adenoid cystic carcinoma of the trachea was treated by resection of the upper and mid-trachea, plus total laryngectomy, subtotal thyroidectomy, partial resection of the cervical esophageal muscle layer and mediastinal tracheostomy. This tumor invaded directly into the thyroid gland, the larynx, the recurrent laryngeal nerve and the cervical esophagus. Three years after the operation, metastases developed in the right lung (S10, S2) and partial resection of the lung was performed. This patient is now free from disease. Aggressive surgical resection is important for the improvement of survival in this condition, although this tumor shows low grade malignancy and is slowly growing.