Introduction

Mucoepidermoid tumors (METs) are a rare type of primary lung tumours arising from bronchial glands and account for less than 1% of all lung tumors. METs are slow-growing and can be asymptomatic for a long time. The most common symptoms are cough, dyspnea, and hemoptysis. METs are diagnosed by bronchoscopy and biopsy, and the definitive diagnosis is made by histopathological examination.

Case Report

We present the case of a 13 year old male patient who presented with a persistent fever and cough for the past 1 month. He had no significant family history of malignancy. Chest X-ray revealed a right lower lobe opacity and CT chest showed a 3 cm mass in the right lower lobe bronchus causing partial obstruction of the bronchus, resulting in collapse of the distal lung segments. Bronchoscopy revealed a polypoidal mass in the right lower lobe bronchus causing partial obstruction of the bronchus. Biopsy revealed a low-grade mucoepidermoid carcinoma.

After consultation with the Oncology team, the patient underwent a bronchoscopic debulking of the tumour using the electrocautery snare which resulted complete en masse removal of the tumour with purulent secretions pouring from the distal segments.

Follow up CT thorax at 1 month and 3 months showed complete resolution of the collapse with no bronchial recurrence as evidenced by surveillance bronchoscopies.

Discussion

Early diagnosis and complete surgical resection are the cornerstones of treatment of Bronchial METs. However, various tools in Interventional Pulmonology provide successful outcomes with significantly reduced morbidity and complications.