Carcinoid syndrome and carcinoid tumours
Treating carcinoid tumours and carcinoid syndrome
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 more about the surgery for carcinoid tumours on theCancer Research UK website.
If the tumour cannot be removed, but it's not growing or causing symptoms, you may not need treatment straight away it might just be carefully monitored.
If it's causing symptoms, you may be offered one of thefollowing treatments:
- injections of medicines called somatostatin analogues, such as octreotide and lanreotide, which can slow down the growth of the tumour
- radiotherapy to kill some of the cancer cellsCancer Research UK has more information on thetwo main options: targeted radiotherapy and external beam radiotherapy
- a procedure to block the blood supply tothetumour (for tumours in the liver), known as hepatic artery embolisation
- a procedure that uses a heated probe to kill cancer cells (for tumours in the liver), called radiofrequency ablation
- chemotherapy to shrink the tumour and control your symptoms
Symptoms of carcinoid syndrome canbe treated with injections of octreotide and lanreotide.You may also be givenmedication to widen your airways (to relieve wheezing and breathlessness) and anti-diarrhoea medication.
Medically Reviewed by a doctor on 21 Dez 2018
Introduction
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.
Signs and symptoms
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
What causes carcinoid tumours?
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
Diagnosing carcinoid tumours
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
Treating carcinoid tumours and carcinoid syndrome
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
What can I do to help myself?
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
Outlook
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
Information about you
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
Subscribe
Ask the doctor
Rate this article
Find products