A rare case of endobronchial carcinoid causing recurrent pneumothorax: a case report.
- 1Department of Internal Medicine, Parkview Health, Fort Wayne, IN, USA. [email protected].
- 2Department of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Parkview Health, Fort Wayne, IN, USA.
Abstract
Endobronchial carcinoid tumor rarely causes secondary spontaneous pneumothorax. We report a female in her 30s who reported progressive decline in her overall exercise tolerance with dyspnea on exertion and frequent upper respiratory infections (URIs) for 2 years presented for persistent spontaneous pneumothorax (SP). Initially, she presented to the emergency department (ED) for concerns of cough with mild hemoptysis and congestion for 2 weeks. She was found to have a small left-sided pneumothorax. She was admitted and treated for community-acquired pneumonia (CAP). Post-hospital follow-up showed a persistent pneumothorax unchanged in size. She was followed for weeks with serial chest X-rays, which later showed an increased size of the pneumothorax. She was admitted, and a chest tube was placed. Later, bronchoscopy was done, which showed near complete occlusion of the left mainstem bronchus by an endobronchial lesion. Pathology results showed a well-differentiated neuroendocrine grade 1 tumor consistent with carcinoid. She was successfully treated with tumor resection and photodynamic therapy (PDT). This case highlighted an unusual presentation of an endobronchial carcinoid tumor that requires further diagnostic workup with appropriate intervention.
Related
- A Rare Endobronchial Lipoma of the Right Middle Lobe Causing Middle Lobe Syndrome and Recurrent Post‐Obstructive Infection in a Patient With Interstitial Lung Disease, Managed by Lung‐Sparing Bronchoscopy
- Endobronchial Extension of Metastatic Osteosarcoma Causing Central Airway Obstruction: A Case Report.
- Synchronous lung adenocarcinoma and pulmonary carcinoid tumorlets in different lobes: a case report
- Advanced Carcinoid Tricuspid Valve Disease Associated with Delayed Recognition and Loss of the Interventional Window in a Patient with Ileal Neuroendocrine Tumor: A Case Report
- Typical Carcinoid Tumor of the Lung: A Case Report Demonstrating Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results Database Analysis.
BibTeX
@article{ku2026rare,
title = {{A rare case of endobronchial carcinoid causing recurrent pneumothorax: a case report.}},
author = {Madeline Ku and Bharat Bajantri},
journal = {BMC pulmonary medicine},
year = {2026},
month = aug,
doi = {10.1186/s12890-026-04577-5},
url = {https://europepmc.org/article/MED/43009935},
note = {CC BY-NC-ND},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - A rare case of endobronchial carcinoid causing recurrent pneumothorax: a case report.
AU - Madeline Ku
AU - Bharat Bajantri
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/08/14
JO - BMC pulmonary medicine
DO - 10.1186/s12890-026-04577-5
UR - https://europepmc.org/article/MED/43009935
AB - Endobronchial carcinoid tumor rarely causes secondary spontaneous pneumothorax. We report a female in her 30s who reported progressive decline in her overall exercise tolerance with dyspnea on exertion and frequent upper respiratory infections (URIs) for 2 years presented for persistent spontaneous pneumothorax (SP). Initially, she presented to the emergency department (ED) for concerns of cough with mild hemoptysis and congestion for 2 weeks. She was found to have a small left-sided pneumothorax. She was admitted and treated for community-acquired pneumonia (CAP). Post-hospital follow-up showed a persistent pneumothorax unchanged in size. She was followed for weeks with serial chest X-rays, which later showed an increased size of the pneumothorax. She was admitted, and a chest tube was placed. Later, bronchoscopy was done, which showed near complete occlusion of the left mainstem bronchus by an endobronchial lesion. Pathology results showed a well-differentiated neuroendocrine grade 1 tumor consistent with carcinoid. She was successfully treated with tumor resection and photodynamic therapy (PDT). This case highlighted an unusual presentation of an endobronchial carcinoid tumor that requires further diagnostic workup with appropriate intervention.
SN - 1471-2466
ER -