Primary Bronchial Granular Cell Tumor in an Adult Male

Abstract

We report a rare case of granular cell tumor arising in the left lower lobe (LLL) bronchus with secondary obstructive change in a 60-year-old male. The patient was found to have a nodule in the LLL on a computed tomography scan, three months prior to his presentation to the Asan Medical Center. Bronchoscopic biopsies revealed a granular cell tumor. After undergoing LLL lobectomy with bronchoplasty, the patient has not experienced any tumor recurrence.

Endobronchial Granular Cell Tumor

“…Remaining patients may present with respiratory symptoms such as cough, dyspnea, hemoptysis, and stridor, and symptoms are related to the location and size of the tumor (1,5,7,9). A chronic cough was only symptom in the present case.…”

“…Pulmonary GCTs are generally endobronchial but sometimes they can be located peripherally. Approximately 90 % of these tumors are endobronchial in location and they are usually found in the trachea and central bronchi, down to the segmental level, as in the present case (1,3,5). Pulmonary GCTs are mostly seen in patients between 30 and 50 years old, but it can be diagnosed at any age (1,7).…”

“…GCTs can occur in almost any organ, but they are most frequent in the skin, subcutaneous tissue, tongue, oral mucosa, and breast (2). However, GCT of the lung is rare and accounts for only 6 % to 10 % of all GCTs (1,3). Since the first case of GCT from the trachea and bronchus was reported in the late 1930s, approximately 100 cases of pulmonary GCT have been reported in the English literature (1,6).…”

“…Several reports indicated that there was no sex predilection in the incidence (1,2,5,7). Approximately one-half of pulmonary GCT patients are asymptomatic at the presentation and the tumor is discovered as incidental radiologic, bronchoscopic, or operative findings (1,7,8).…”

“…origin from Schwann cells. Thus, the term 'granular cell tumor' was introduced (1,3). GCTs can occur in almost any organ, but they are most frequent in the skin, subcutaneous tissue, tongue, oral mucosa, and breast (2).…”