Carcinoid syndrome and carcinoid tumours
In the early stages of having a carcinoid tumour, you may not have any symptoms. You may also not have symptoms if the tumour is just in your digestive system, as any hormones it produces will be broken down by your liver.
If symptomsdo develop, they tend to be fairly general and can be easily mistaken for signs of other illnesses.
Symptoms may result from both the tumour itself and from any hormones it releases into the bloodstream.
Symptoms will dependon where in the body the tumour develops:
Some tumours may not cause any symptoms and are discovered by chance. For example,an appendix carcinoid tumour may only befound when the appendix is being removed for another reason.
Typical symptoms of carcinoid syndrome include:
These symptoms may come on unexpectedly, as the hormones can be produced by the tumour at any time.
Some people may also developcarcinoid heart disease, wherethe heart valves thicken andstop working properly. There is also a risk of developing a rare but serious reaction calleda carcinoid crisis, which involves severe flushing, breathlessness and a drop in blood pressure.
A carcinoid tumour is a rare type of cancerous tumour. Read about the causes and treatments, and about a group of symptoms they can cause, known as carcinoid syndrome.
In the early stages of having a carcinoid tumour, you may not have any symptoms. You may also not have symptoms if the tumour is just in your digestive system, as any hormones it produces will be brok
It'snotknown exactlywhy carcinoid tumours develop, but it's thought that mostoccur by chance. Your chances of developing a carcinoid tumour may be increased if you have: a rare family syndrome call
Acarcinoid tumour may be found incidentally for example, as a surgeon is removing an appendix. In this case, the tumour will often be caught early and removed along with the appendix, causing no furth
If the tumour is caught early, it may be possible to completely remove it and cure the cancer altogether. Otherwise, surgeons will remove as much of the tumour as possible (debulking). You can read m
There are things you can do yourself to manage some of the symptoms of carcinoid syndrome. Generally, you should avoid triggersof flushing , such as: alcohol large meals spicy foods foods contai
If the whole tumour can be removed, this may cure the cancer and symptoms altogether. But even if surgeons cannot remove the entire tumour, it usually grows slowly and can be controlled with medicatio
If you have carcinoid syndrome, your clinical team will pass information about you on to the National Congenital Anomaly and Rare Diseases Registration Service (NCARDRS). This helps scientists look f