Carcinoid Tumour Revealed by Repeated Respiratory Infections in a Pregnant Woman, a Case Report

Abstract

Background: Understanding carcinoid tumours is essential, as they can often go unrecognized, leading to late diagnosis. This type of neuroendocrine tumour usually develops in the gastrointestinal tract, but can also occur in the respiratory tract. The aim of our work was firstly to review the clinical picture, the diagnostic method and the therapeutic management (while highlighting the limitations of endoscopic treatment) of a carcinoid tumour. The second aim was to raise awareness among physicians in general, and pulmonologists in particular, of the need to consider this diagnosis in the case of recurrent respiratory infection in a young patient with no exposure to tobacco and no particular medical history.

Case Report: A 32-year-old patient, Caucasian, 33 weeks pregnant, presented with recurrent respiratory infections (dry cough, wheezing, and NHYA Class II dyspnoea). Initially, she was treated with antibiotic therapy. Follow-up examinations revealed a typical carcinoid neuroendocrine tumour. In this case pregnancy was an additional factor involved in the diagnostic delay. The first-line treatment involved endoscopic resection, followed by a left S6 segmentectomy combined with a sleeve resection of the left lower lobar bronchus, performed six months later due to unfavourable developments.

Conclusion: The incidence of carcinoid tumours is increasing. Bronchial carcinoid tumours can cause recurrent infections at the same anatomical site, and can be misdiagnosed, often delaying diagnosis. Therapeutic management and prognosis depend on the histological type, which can be definitively confirmed with an operating specimen. Greater awareness among healthcare personnel of the clinical picture associated with this pathology will promote early diagnosis and treatment.