A rare case of endobronchial carcinoid causing recurrent pneumothorax: a case report

Endobronchial carcinoid tumor rarely causes secondary spontaneous pneumothorax. We report a female in her 30s who reported progressive decline in her overall exercise tolerance with dyspnea on exertion and frequent upper respiratory infections (URIs) for 2 years presented for persistent spontaneous pneumothorax (SP). Initially, she presented to the emergency department (ED) for concerns of cough with mild hemoptysis and congestion for 2 weeks. She was found to have a small left-sided pneumothorax. She was admitted and treated for community-acquired pneumonia (CAP). Post-hospital follow-up showed a persistent pneumothorax unchanged in size. She was followed for weeks with serial chest X-rays, which later showed an increased size of the pneumothorax. She was admitted, and a chest tube was placed. Later, bronchoscopy was done, which showed near complete occlusion of the left mainstem bronchus by an endobronchial lesion. Pathology results showed a well-differentiated neuroendocrine grade 1 tumor consistent with carcinoid. She was successfully treated with tumor resection and photodynamic therapy (PDT). This case highlighted an unusual presentation of an endobronchial carcinoid tumor that requires further diagnostic workup with appropriate intervention.