Epidemiology

Though the true incidence and prevalence of central airway obstruction (CAO) is unknown, prompt identification and management of CAO is paramount for therapeutic benefit.[2]​ If the division of malignant and nonmalignant tracheobronchial obstruction is made, the current epidemiology of lung cancer suggests that malignant obstruction is more frequently observed.[22][23][24]​​

Lung cancer is still the leading cause of cancer death in both men and women in the US. For the year 2024, the American Cancer Society estimated the number of new cases of lung cancer to be 234,580, resulting in 125,070 deaths.​[25]​​ 

Approximately 20% to 30% of patients with lung cancer will develop clinical features and complications associated with airway obstruction (e.g., atelectasis, post-obstructive pneumonia, dyspnea), and up to 40% of deaths may be due to progression of loco-regional disease.[2] Approximately 80,000 cases of malignant airway obstruction are treated annually in the US.[26]

There are also few epidemiologic data on nonmalignant airway stenosis. The epidemiology of nonmalignant tracheobronchial obstruction is likely to be largely dependent on its etiology. Post-tracheostomy tracheal stenosis and post-intubation tracheal stenosis appear to be the most common benign strictures, followed by idiopathic and autoimmune causes.[1][27]

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