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This PDQ cancer information summary has current information about the treatment of a type of childhood lung cancer called tracheobronchial tumors. It is meant to inform and help patients, families, and caregivers. It does not give formal guidelines or recommendations for making decisions about health care.
Editorial Boards write the PDQ cancer information summaries and keep them up to date. These Boards are made up of experts in cancer treatment and other specialties related to cancer. The summaries are reviewed regularly and changes are made when there is new information. The date on each summary ("Date Last Modified") is the date of the most recent change. The information in this patient summary was taken from the health professional version, which is reviewed regularly and updated as needed, by the PDQ Pediatric Treatment Editorial Board.
CONTENTS
- General Information About Childhood Tracheobronchial Tumors
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Tracheobronchial tumor is a type of childhood lung cancer that forms in the lining of the trachea or bronchi.
Most tracheobronchial tumors begin in the inside lining of the trachea (windpipe) or large bronchi (large airways of the lung).
Tracheobronchial tumors form in the inside lining of the trachea or bronchi (large airways of the lung). Tracheobronchial tumors are rare and can occur in both children and adults. They are usually benign (not cancer) in children and malignant (cancer) in adults. There are several types of tracheobronchial tumors or cancers, such as the following:
Most tracheobronchial tumors in children are malignant (cancer). Sometimes, a slow-growing tracheobronchial tumor, such as inflammatory myofibroblastic tumor, becomes cancer that may spread to other parts of the body.
Signs and symptoms of a tracheobronchial tumor include wheezing and dry cough.
Tracheobronchial tumors may cause any of the following signs and symptoms. Check with your child's doctor if your child has any of the following:
Conditions other than tracheobronchial tumors may cause these same signs and symptoms. For example, symptoms of tracheobronchial tumors are a lot like the symptoms of asthma, which can make it hard to diagnose the tumor.
Tests that examine the trachea and bronchi are used to help diagnose tracheobronchial tumor.
In addition to asking about your child's personal and family health history and doing a physical exam, your child's doctor may perform the following tests and procedures:
Rarely, the following tests and procedures may be used:
Certain factors affect treatment options and prognosis (chance of recovery).
Treatment options and prognosis depend on the following:
The prognosis for children with tracheobronchial tumors that can be removed by surgery is very good. This is the case for most tracheobronchial tumors except rhabdomyosarcoma, which require more aggressive treatment.
- Stages of Tracheobronchial Tumors
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There is no standard staging system for childhood tracheobronchial tumors.
The process used to find out if cancer has spread from the trachea or bronchi to nearby areas or to other parts of the body is called staging. There is no standard system for staging childhood tracheobronchial cancer. The results of the tests and procedures done to make a diagnosis are used to help make decisions about treatment.
Sometimes childhood tracheobronchial tumors recur (come back) after treatment.
There are three ways that cancer spreads in the body.
Cancer can spread through tissue, the lymph system, and the blood:
Cancer may spread from where it began to other parts of the body.
When cancer spreads to another part of the body, it is called metastasis. Cancer cells break away from where they began (the primary tumor) and travel through the lymph system or blood.
The metastatic tumor is the same type of cancer as the primary tumor. For example, if a tumor in the trachea or bronchi spreads to the liver, the cancer cells in the liver are actually from the trachea or bronchi. The disease is metastatic tracheobronchial cancer, not liver cancer.
- Treatment Option Overview
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There are different types of treatment for children with a tracheobronchial tumor.
Some treatments are standard (the currently used treatment), and some are being tested in clinical trials. A treatment clinical trial is a research study meant to help improve current treatments or obtain information on new treatments for patients with cancer. When clinical trials show that a new treatment is better than the standard treatment, the new treatment may become the standard treatment.
Because cancer in children is rare, taking part in a clinical trial should be considered. Some clinical trials are open only to patients who have not started treatment.
Children with a tracheobronchial tumor should have their treatment planned by a team of doctors who are experts in treating childhood diseases.
Treatment will be overseen by a pediatric oncologist, a doctor who specializes in treating children with cancer. The pediatric oncologist works with other pediatric health professionals who are experts in treating children with cancer and who specialize in certain areas of medicine. This may include the following specialists and others:
Four types of standard treatment are used:
Surgery
Surgery to remove the tumor is used to treat all types of tracheobronchial tumor except rhabdomyosarcoma. Sometimes a type of surgery called a sleeve resection is used. The tumor and lymph nodes and vessels where cancer has spread are removed.
Chemotherapy
Chemotherapy is a cancer treatment that uses drugs to stop the growth of cancer cells, either by killing the cells or by stopping them from dividing. When chemotherapy is taken by mouth or injected into a vein or muscle, the drugs enter the bloodstream and can reach cancer cells throughout the body (systemic chemotherapy).
Chemotherapy is used to treat rhabdomyosarcoma. For more information, see Drugs Approved for Rhabdomyosarcoma.
Radiation therapy
Radiation therapy is a cancer treatment that uses high-energy x-rays or other types of radiation to kill cancer cells or keep them from growing. External radiation therapy uses a machine outside the body to send radiation toward the area of the body with cancer.
Radiation therapy is used to treat rhabdomyosarcoma.
Targeted therapy
Targeted therapy is a type of treatment that uses drugs or other substances to identify and attack specific cancer cells.
Targeted therapy is also being studied for the treatment of relapsed or refractory tracheobronchial tumors.
New types of treatment are being tested in clinical trials.
Information about clinical trials is available from the NCI website.
Treatment for childhood tracheobronchial tumor may cause side effects.
For information about side effects that begin during treatment for cancer, see our Side Effects page.
Side effects from cancer treatment that begin after treatment and continue for months or years are called late effects. Late effects of cancer treatment may include:
Some late effects may be treated or controlled. It is important to talk with your child's doctors about the possible late effects caused by some treatments.
Patients may want to think about taking part in a clinical trial.
For some patients, taking part in a clinical trial may be the best treatment choice. Clinical trials are part of the cancer research process. Clinical trials are done to find out if new cancer treatments are safe and effective or better than the standard treatment.
Many of today's standard treatments for cancer are based on earlier clinical trials. Patients who take part in a clinical trial may receive the standard treatment or be among the first to receive a new treatment.
Patients who take part in clinical trials also help improve the way cancer will be treated in the future. Even when clinical trials do not lead to effective new treatments, they often answer important questions and help move research forward.
Patients can enter clinical trials before, during, or after starting their cancer treatment.
Some clinical trials only include patients who have not yet received treatment. Other trials test treatments for patients whose cancer has not gotten better. There are also clinical trials that test new ways to stop cancer from recurring (coming back) or reduce the side effects of cancer treatment.
Clinical trials are taking place in many parts of the country. Information about clinical trials supported by NCI can be found on NCI’s clinical trials search webpage. Clinical trials supported by other organizations can be found on the ClinicalTrials.gov website.
Follow-up tests may be needed.
Some of the tests that were done to diagnose the cancer may be repeated to see how well the treatment is working. Decisions about whether to continue, change, or stop treatment may be based on the results of these tests.
Some of the tests will continue to be done from time to time after treatment has ended. The results of these tests can show if your child's condition has changed or if the cancer has recurred (come back). These tests are sometimes called follow-up tests or check-ups.
- Treatment of Childhood Tracheobronchial Tumors
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For information about the treatments listed below, see the Treatment Option Overview section.
The treatment of tracheobronchial tumors depends on the type of cell the cancer formed from. Treatment of newly diagnosed tracheobronchial tumors in children may include the following:
For information about the treatment of tracheobronchial carcinoid tumors, see Childhood Gastrointestinal Neuroendocrine Tumors Treatment.
Use our clinical trial search to find NCI-supported cancer clinical trials that are accepting patients. You can search for trials based on the type of cancer, the age of the patient, and where the trials are being done. General information about clinical trials is also available.
- Treatment of Recurrent Childhood Tracheobronchial Tumors
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For information about the treatment listed below, see the Treatment Option Overview section.
Treatment of recurrent tracheobronchial tumors in children may include the following:
- To Learn More About Tracheobronchial Tumors
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For more information from the National Cancer Institute about tracheobronchial tumors, see the following:
For more childhood cancer information and other general cancer resources, see the following:
- About This PDQ Summary
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About PDQ
Physician Data Query (PDQ) is the National Cancer Institute's (NCI's) comprehensive cancer information database. The PDQ database contains summaries of the latest published information on cancer prevention, detection, genetics, treatment, supportive care, and complementary and alternative medicine. Most summaries come in two versions. The health professional versions have detailed information written in technical language. The patient versions are written in easy-to-understand, nontechnical language. Both versions have cancer information that is accurate and up to date and most versions are also available in Spanish.
PDQ is a service of the NCI. The NCI is part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). NIH is the federal government’s center of biomedical research. The PDQ summaries are based on an independent review of the medical literature. They are not policy statements of the NCI or the NIH.
Purpose of This Summary
This PDQ cancer information summary has current information about the treatment of childhood tracheobronchial tumors. It is meant to inform and help patients, families, and caregivers. It does not give formal guidelines or recommendations for making decisions about health care.
Reviewers and Updates
Editorial Boards write the PDQ cancer information summaries and keep them up to date. These Boards are made up of experts in cancer treatment and other specialties related to cancer. The summaries are reviewed regularly and changes are made when there is new information. The date on each summary ("Updated") is the date of the most recent change.
The information in this patient summary was taken from the health professional version, which is reviewed regularly and updated as needed, by the PDQ Pediatric Treatment Editorial Board.
Clinical Trial Information
A clinical trial is a study to answer a scientific question, such as whether one treatment is better than another. Trials are based on past studies and what has been learned in the laboratory. Each trial answers certain scientific questions in order to find new and better ways to help cancer patients. During treatment clinical trials, information is collected about the effects of a new treatment and how well it works. If a clinical trial shows that a new treatment is better than one currently being used, the new treatment may become "standard." Patients may want to think about taking part in a clinical trial. Some clinical trials are open only to patients who have not started treatment.
Clinical trials can be found online at NCI's website. For more information, call the Cancer Information Service (CIS), NCI's contact center, at 1-800-4-CANCER (1-800-422-6237).
Permission to Use This Summary
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The best way to cite this PDQ summary is:
PDQ® Pediatric Treatment Editorial Board. PDQ Childhood Tracheobronchial Tumors Treatment. Bethesda, MD: National Cancer Institute. Updated <MM/DD/YYYY>. Available at: https://www.cancer.gov/types/lung/patient/child-tracheobronchial-treatment-pdq. Accessed <MM/DD/YYYY>.
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