Primary malignant lymphoma of the trachea. Report of a case successfully treated by primary end-to-end anastomosis after circumferential resection of the trachea.

A 67-year-old Japanese man with exertional dyspnea was found by laminagraphy to have tracheal obstruction. The stricture was localized at the cervical and mediastinal trachea and was 5.0 cm long on an x-ray film. Eight tracheal rings were successfully resected and the ends of the trachea were anastomosed. The lumen of the removed trachea was narrowed by intramural and intraluminal polypoid growth originating from the tracheal wall. Histologically, the tumor was diagnosed as a mixed type of malignant lymphoma. The patient had serum hepatitis postoperatively, but now he is living normally without any difficulty in respiration. No signs of recurrence have been seen in the 5 years, 4 months since the operation. From this experience, the rarity and the possibility of curative operation of this tumor are discussed.