[Endobronchial metastases (author's transl)]

Abstract

The frequency of metastases of solid primary tumors into the respiratory tract is estimated to about 5% by means of bronchoscopic and bronchofibroscopic examinations. The clinical and roentgenological picture of endobronchial metastases in most cases is corresponding to that of a primary bronchial cancer. For differential diagnostics endobronchial metastases have to be delimited from primary bronchial carcinoma, from the multilocular forms of the primary bronchial carcinoma, from benign tumors and pseudotumors of the respiratory tract. The possibility of double tumors (tumorduplicity) must not be forgotten, as well. The endoscopic signs of a benign tumor endobronchially growing are described. However, only the histological or cytologic examination will give certainty. The endoscopic picture of a primary bronchial carcinoma with metastases and other possible multilocular endobronchial alterations are described. In our material the error was most frequent, that the bronchial cancer was confounded with the metastases. During the last 20 years we have observed endobronchial metastases in 22 patients with bronchoscopic methods. In 13 patients an extrapulmonary solid tumor made metastases into the bronchi, breast cancer 4 times, Grawitztumors, adenocarcinoma of the colon, carcinoma of the thymus each two times, cancer of the uterus, of the urinary bladder and the thyroid each one time. In 9 patients autochthonous metastases of a primary bronchial carcinoma were found.