External-beam radiation therapy in the treatment of diffuse tracheobronchial amyloidosis

Tracheobronchial amyloidosis is characterized by deposits of amyloid in air way walls. No effective treatment is known. We describe a 59-year-old woman who presented with increasing symptoms of airway obstruction due to diffus e deposition of amyloid throughout her tracheobronchial tree. She was treat ed with external-beam radiation therapy (20 Gy) with marked improvement in her symptoms, effort tolerance, bronchoscopic appearance, and forced expira tory volume in 1 second (1.39 L to 1.97 L [42%]). This improvement was main tained during 21 months of follow-up.