Gradually worsening dyspnea and dry cough in an elderly patient

Abstract

Primary tracheal chondrosarcomas are an extremely rare condition that affect adult of all ages, 24% being more that 70 years old. The progression may be slow, with symptoms that may continue up to 72 months before diagnosis is made. The clinical manifestations, that include a combination of nonproductive cough, wheezing, and dyspnea without hemoptysis often leads to misdiagnosis of asthma or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. We report a case of an 87-year-old male, a Medical Doctor, with such a history, in whom a diagnosis of a tracheal chondrosarcoma was finally performed, 12 months after the first manifestation of the disease.