[Surgical treatment of carcinoid tumors of the intestine]

Abstract

Carcinoid tumours arise from the neuroendocrine system and present a characteristic morphological picture. They occur in almost every organ, predilected sites are the appendix and the small intestine. Prognosis depends on the primary localization and tumour size. Carcinoids of the appendix and rectum are mostly small and thus have a good prognosis. Growth of bronchial, stomach and small intestinal carcinoids is aggressive and implicates a high percentage of metastatic disease. First choice therapy is the surgical removal of the tumour. Depending on tumour size surgical treatment includes fulguration, local excision and oncologic radical resection up to extended organ extirpation. Reoperation and repeated surgery have good chances to be successful concerning tumour remission and improvement of the carcinoid syndrome. Additive treatment comprises in particular somatostatin therapy and, in some cases, chemotherapy.