Primary anaplastic large cell lymphoma of trachea with subcutaneous emphysema and progressive dyspnea

Abstract

Primary anaplastic large cell lymphoma of the trachea is a rare tumor. Common complaints are dyspnea and cough that could mimic a partially refractory asthma in some cases. We report a 16-year-old female with an anaplastic large cell lymphoma (null cell type) in which tracheal involvement was presented with life-threatening airway obstruction and subcutaneous emphysema. After debulking the tumor by endobronchial curettage, the patient was treated with chemotherapy followed by local radiotherapy. She had no evidence of local or distant recurrence after 25 months. Primary anaplastic large cell lymphoma of the trachea is a rare life-threatening disease. Nevertheless, this condition has a good prognosis if diagnosed immediately and treated with chemotherapy and radiotherapy.