Endobronchial electrocautery wire snare prior to wedge bronchoplastic lobectomy for central-type lung cancer: A case report

INTRODUCTION: Occasionally, it is difficult to design an appropriate treatment plan for central-type lung cancer. We present the usefulness of combined treatment with a bronchoscopic electrocautery wire snare prior to wedge bronchoplastic lobectomy for patients with central-type lung cancer. PRESENTATION OF CASE: A 64-year-old man, who was a long-term corticosteroid user, complicated with left obstructive pneumonia. Chest CT scan showed total atelectasis of the left lung due to obstruction of the left main bronchus by an endobronchial tumor, which protruded from the left lower lobe. He was diagnosed with squamous cell carcinoma of c-T3N0M0 Stage IIB. Endobronchial tumor resection of the left main bronchus was initially performed, which resulted in an improvement of the patient’s symptoms; the patient’s pulmonary function was evaluated and bronchial extension of the tumor was also observed. He subsequently underwent elective bronchoplastic left lower lobectomy and lymphadenectomy, with no recurrence 2 years after surgery. DISCUSSION: A variety of therapeutic bronchoscopic intervention are available for the treatment of advanced central-type lung cancer. The effectiveness of endobronchial electrocautery using the snare wire has been reported for the treatment of respiratory tract tumors, which allowed planning of the following treatment procedure. CONCLUSION: The combination of a bronchoscopic electrocautery wire snare and bronchoplastic surgical procedure was useful for the treatment of central-type lung cancer such as in our case.