Treatment of primary tracheal schwannoma with endoscopic resection: A case report

BACKGROUND: Schwannoma is a benign tumor originating from the peripheral nerve sheath. The clinical symptoms of tracheal schwannoma depend on the location of the tumor, and the most common clinical symptoms are cough and hemoptysis. The most effective treatment for benign tumors is complete resection of the primary lesion at an early stage. Our experience has demonstrated that primary tracheal schwannoma can be safely excised with a high-frequency electric knife in a minimally invasive manner. CASE SUMMARY: We report a 61-year-old asymptomatic woman who underwent chest computed tomography (CT), which accidentally found an intraluminal tracheal mass without enlarged lymph nodes. Then, the patient underwent bronchoscopy, which found that the tracheal mass originated from the left wall of the upper trachea, was less than 1.5 cm in size, immovable, smooth and 4 cm away from the vocal cord, resulting in partial upper respiratory tract obstruction. Treatment was performed using an endoscopic resection for en bloc removal of the tracheal mass. The diagnosis was primary tracheal schwannoma. A follow-up was performed after endoscopic surgery, and bronchoscopy and thoracic CT were used to monitor whether there was a recurrence. At present, there is no evidence of recurrence, and the patient had a good quality of life. Endoscopic resection may be effective and safe in the treatment of primary tracheal schwannoma. CONCLUSION: Primary tracheal schwannoma is a very rare benign tumor. In this case, we cured it by complete endoscopic resection.