Malignant Airway (Trachea/Bronchus) Stenosis Intervention

Lung cancer is the most common malignancy in the world with two million new cases diagnosed each year worldwide. More than one-third of these cases is in China, where the incidence is going to rise. About 20–40% of lung cancer patients will develop airway stenosis or obstruction because of the tumor invasion of the central airway or compression of the airway by metastatic mediastinal lymph nodes [1]. The central airway stenosis may also be caused by tumors of the esophagus, thyroid, thymus, or lung or mediastinal lymph node metastasis from gastric cancer and other malignant tumors. The tracheal stenosis is mostly due to malignant tumors arising in the tracheal lumen.