{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,27]],"date-time":"2026-08-27T13:23:02Z","timestamp":1787836982648,"version":"build-2784847793"},"reference-count":10,"publisher":"BMJ","issue":"8","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,27]],"date-time":"2026-08-27T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1787788800000},"content-version":"unspecified","delay-in-days":26,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by-nc\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["bmj.com"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["BMJ Case Rep"],"accepted":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,12]]},"published-print":{"date-parts":[[2026,8]]},"abstract":"<jats:p>Primary tracheal squamous cell carcinoma is a rare malignancy that presents with non-specific respiratory symptoms, leading to delayed diagnosis and misattribution to more common cardiopulmonary conditions.<\/jats:p>\n                  <jats:p>We report a woman in her early 60s with a 10-month history of exertional and positional dyspnoea, throat constriction and episodic cough. Initial pulmonary workup, chest radiography and flexible laryngoscopy were unrevealing. Neck imaging ultimately demonstrated a 2 cm proximal tracheal mass causing approximately 50% luminal narrowing. She underwent direct laryngoscopy with biopsy and debulking under coordinated airway management, followed by definitive segmental tracheal resection.<\/jats:p>\n                  <jats:p>Histopathology confirmed keratinising squamous cell carcinoma with negative margins and no lymphovascular invasion. The postoperative course was uncomplicated, with preserved vocal fold mobility and well-healed tracheal anastomosis on follow-up bronchoscopy. This case highlights the importance of maintaining a broad differential diagnosis in unexplained dyspnoea and emphasises early imaging and multidisciplinary airway planning to optimise outcomes in rare tracheal malignancies.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.1136\/bcr-2026-273585","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,27]],"date-time":"2026-08-27T13:05:13Z","timestamp":1787835913000},"page":"e273585","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1136\/crossmarkpolicy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Atypical presentation and airway management of tracheal squamous cell carcinoma"],"prefix":"10.1136","volume":"19","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0009-6440-4411","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Tyler","family":"Jung","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Caruso Department of Head and Neck Surgery, USC Keck School of Medicine, Los Angeles, California, USA"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Elisabeth","family":"Ference","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Facey Medical Group - Mission Hills, Mission Hills, California, USA"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Liyang","family":"Tang","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Caruso Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California, USA"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"239","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,27]]},"reference":[{"key":"2026082706050755000_19.8.e273585.1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1097\/COC.0b013e3181cae8ab"},{"key":"2026082706050755000_19.8.e273585.2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/S1470-2045(05)70541-6"},{"key":"2026082706050755000_19.8.e273585.3","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","DOI":"10.1186\/s12943-024-02188-4","article-title":"Incidence, risk factors, and epidemiological trends of tracheal cancer: a global analysis","volume":"23","author":"Huang","year":"2024","journal-title":"Mol Cancer"},{"key":"2026082706050755000_19.8.e273585.4","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/j.jamcollsurg.2005.09.016"},{"key":"2026082706050755000_19.8.e273585.5","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","DOI":"10.1002\/cam4.70893","article-title":"Diagnosis and Treatment of Primary Tracheobronchial Tumors","volume":"14","author":"Shu","year":"2025","journal-title":"Cancer Med"},{"key":"2026082706050755000_19.8.e273585.6","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1090","DOI":"10.1097\/JS9.0000000000002008","article-title":"Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation as life-saving bridge for patients with airway obstruction caused by neck and chest tumors to salvage procedure: an in-depth review","volume":"111","author":"Su","year":"2025","journal-title":"Int J Surg"},{"key":"2026082706050755000_19.8.e273585.7","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"134","DOI":"10.1016\/j.jclinane.2016.02.023","article-title":"Anesthesia airway management in a patient with upper tracheal tumor","volume":"32","author":"Wendi","year":"2016","journal-title":"J Clin Anesth"},{"key":"2026082706050755000_19.8.e273585.8","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"336","DOI":"10.1097\/MCP.0000000000000585","article-title":"Tracheal tumors","volume":"25","author":"Diaz-Mendoza","year":"2019","journal-title":"Curr Opin Pulm Med"},{"key":"2026082706050755000_19.8.e273585.9","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","DOI":"10.1097\/MD.0000000000019488","article-title":"Bronchoscopy-guided intervention therapy with extracorporeal membrane oxygenation support for advanced cancer metastasis to the central airway: A case report","volume":"99","author":"Yu","year":"2020","journal-title":"Medicine (Baltimore)"},{"key":"2026082706050755000_19.8.e273585.10","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1524","DOI":"10.1053\/j.jvca.2020.11.041","article-title":"Peripheral Cardiopulmonary Bypass in Two Patients With Symptomatic Tracheal Masses: Perioperative Challenges","volume":"35","author":"Misra","year":"2021","journal-title":"J Cardiothorac Vasc Anesth"}],"container-title":["BMJ Case Reports"],"original-title":[],"language":"en","link":[{"URL":"https:\/\/syndication.highwire.org\/content\/doi\/10.1136\/bcr-2026-273585","content-type":"unspecified","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"similarity-checking"}],"deposited":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,27]],"date-time":"2026-08-27T13:05:14Z","timestamp":1787835914000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"https:\/\/casereports.bmj.com\/lookup\/doi\/10.1136\/bcr-2026-273585"}},"subtitle":[],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[2026,8]]},"references-count":10,"journal-issue":{"issue":"8","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,27]]},"published-print":{"date-parts":[[2026,8]]}},"alternative-id":["10.1136\/bcr-2026-273585"],"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1136\/bcr-2026-273585","relation":{},"ISSN":["1757-790X"],"issn-type":[{"value":"1757-790X","type":"electronic"}],"subject":[],"published":{"date-parts":[[2026,8]]}}}