[Pulmonary carcinoids. Analysis of 53 cases].

We have performed a retrospective analysis of 53 cases of bronchial carcinoids using our own patient data from more than 4700 lung tumors and 1632 resections. The male/female ratio was 1:12 (28/25) and the age range 13 to 75 years (mean 52.2). Fifty-three tumors resections of varying extent were performed, including one radical pneumonectomy in a patient who had previously undergone a lobectomy, and one limited resection of the main left bronchus; there was no intraoperative mortality. After histological examination, 44 tumors (83%) were found to be typical carcinoids and nine (17%) atypical carcinoids. The median follow-up period was 4.56 years, with a range from 1 to 10 years. Only one patient with an atypical carcinoid tumor had a relapse and died three years after, while another patient underwent surgery of the contralateral lung for a second primary lung cancer (SPLC). On the basis of these observations we would like to underline the importance of an accurate histopathological classification for both therapeutic and prognostic purposes; given the higher aggressiveness of atypical carcinoids, these tumors would be eligible for a therapeutic approach analogous to that adopted for bronchogenic carcinoma.