# The role of radiotherapy for patients with primary tracheal carcinoma: two case reports of tracheal carina squamous cell carcinoma and literature review

## TL;DR

This paper discusses the use of radiotherapy for treating rare tracheal cancer through two case studies and a literature review.

## Contribution

The paper presents two case reports of tracheal carina squamous cell carcinoma treated with radiotherapy and reviews its current role in treatment.

## Key findings

- Two patients with unresectable tracheal carcinoma showed satisfactory local control after radical radiotherapy.
- Radiotherapy is suggested to improve local control and survival in cases where surgery is not feasible.
- The optimal dose and fractionation of radiotherapy remain areas of ongoing research and debate.

## Abstract

Primary tracheal carcinoma is a rare malignant tumor; its optimal treatment strategy is not yet formally proven. Surgery, especially complete surgical excision, is often considered as the first-line treatment, and chemotherapy has been reported ineffective. There is a growing body of evidence suggesting that radiotherapy may offer better local control and improve survival outcomes for cases of incomplete excision, questionable surgical margins, or unresectable lesions. However, the effect, total dose, and fraction dose of radiotherapy remain controversial. We report two cases of primary tracheal squamous cell carcinoma at the tracheal carina: a 74-year-old man with an unresectable tracheal carcinoma at the carina and a 55-year-old woman with a tracheal tumor. Both of them were treated with radical radiotherapy, demonstrating satisfactory local control. Finally, we review the current progress of radiotherapy in primary tracheal carcinoma.