A report of two cases of bronchial carcinoid, including one case of atypical carcinoid. |
Kyung Chul Kim1, Chul Min Ahn1, Tae Sun Kim1, Hyung Keun Roh1, Hyung Jung Kim1, Sung Kyu Kim1, Won Young Lee1, Doo Yon Lee2, Sang Jin Kim3, Woo Hee Jung4, Kyi Beom Lee4 |
1Department of Internal Medicine, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea 2Department of Thoracic Surgery, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea 3Department of Radiology, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea 4Department of Pathology, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea |
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Abstract |
Bronchial carcinoid is one of the unusual tumors of the lung, accounting for 1 percent of all lung tumors. Carcinoids, like small-cell carcinomas, are generally considered to be derived from a neurosecretory type of cell of the respiratory epithelium, the Kulchtsky’s cell. So, they are no longer classified as bronchial adenoma and are recently grouped into the neuroendocrine group of tumors, the so-called APUD (Amine Precursor Uptake Decarboxylase) group of tumors.
Although usually characterized by a slow growth pattern and a low incidence of metastatic disease,
bronchial carcinoids should no longer be considered as benign, and a much higher malignant behavior has been described with a special designation of ‘atypical carcinoid'. Bronchial carcinoids are histologically confirmed by the azurophil staining and the presence of the characteristic neurosecretory granule on electron microscopy.
Recently we experienced two cases of bronchial carcinoid, the first case, being peripheral-located and histologically proven as atypical carcinoid, and the second, being central-located and histologically typical. So we report these cases with a review of the literature. |
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