Spontaneous partial expectoration of an endobronchial carcinoid.

Typical pulmonary carcinoid tumors often present as proximal endobronchial masses discovered during the evaluation of cough and/or hemoptysis. We present a case of a carcinoid tumor that presented with spontaneous partial expectoration. A review of the literature revealed 16 cases of expectoration of fragments from various primary and metastatic tumors. Our case appears to be the first report of the expectoration of a carcinoid tumor.