Tracheal granular cell tumour presenting with throat discomfort

Abstract

Granular cell tumours (GCTs) are a rare form of neoplasm found throughout the body. Tracheobronchial involvement is less common. We describe a case of tracheal GCT in a 37-year-old Japanese woman presenting with throat discomfort. A tracheal tumour was found during laryngoscopy for undefined throat discomfort. Bronchoscopy demonstrated a white sub-epithelial solitary nodule on the tracheal wall, and pathological examination of the biopsy samples confirmed GCT. No therapeutic procedures were performed, and the tumour is currently under strict observation. Throat discomfort is a rare presentation of tracheal tumours, but an early inspection using laryngoscopy and bronchoscopy may be helpful in determining an accurate diagnosis.

Keywords: Bronchoscopy; granular cell tumour; throat discomfort; tracheal tumour.

Figure 1

Computed tomography showed a solitary intraluminal tumour of the trachea at the level of the thyroid gland (arrow mark) and no apparent extra‐tracheal extension (A). Bronchoscopy showed a white sub‐epithelial solitary nodule on the left side of the cartilage portion of the trachea (B).

Figure 2

Pathological features of the tracheal tumour (400× magnification) on haematoxylin and eosin staining) (A) and on immunostaining for S‐100 protein (B). A dense proliferation of large tumour cells is seen under the epithelial mucosa. Fine and eosinophilic granules are abundant in the cytoplasm of the tumour cells (A). The tumour cells are positive for S‐100 protein (B).