Treatment Options for Gastrointestinal Carcinoid Tumors

Carcinoid Tumors in the Stomach
Carcinoid Tumors in the Small Intestine
Carcinoid Tumors in the Appendix
Carcinoid Tumors in the Colon
Carcinoid Tumors in the Rectum
Metastatic Gastrointestinal Carcinoid Tumors
Recurrent Gastrointestinal Carcinoid Tumors

A link to a list of current clinical trials is included for each treatment section. For some types or stages of cancer, there may not be any trials listed. Check with your doctor for clinical trials that are not listed here but may be right for you.

Carcinoid Tumors in the Stomach

Treatment of gastrointestinal (GI) carcinoid tumors in the stomach may include the following:

• Endoscopic surgery (resection) for small tumors.
• Surgery (resection) to remove part or all of the stomach. Nearby lymph nodes for larger tumors, tumors that grow deep into the stomach wall, or tumors that are growing and spreading quickly may also be removed.

For patients with GI carcinoid tumors in the stomach and MEN1 syndrome, treatment may also include:

• Surgery to remove tumors in the duodenum (first part of the small intestine, that connects to the stomach).
• Hormone therapy.

Check for U.S. clinical trials from NCI's list of cancer clinical trials that are now accepting patients with localized gastrointestinal carcinoid tumor and regional gastrointestinal carcinoid tumor. For more specific results, refine the search by using other search features, such as the location of the trial, the type of treatment, or the name of the drug. General information about clinical trials is available from the NCI Web site.

Carcinoid Tumors in the Small Intestine

It is not clear what the best treatment is for GI carcinoid tumors in the duodenum (first part of the small intestine, that connects to the stomach). Treatment may include the following:

• Endoscopic surgery (resection) for small tumors.
• Surgery (local excision) to remove the tumor, for slightly larger tumors.
• Surgery resection to remove the tumor and nearby lymph nodes.

Treatment of GI carcinoid tumors in the jejunum (middle part of the small intestine) and ileum (last part of the small intestine, that connects to the colon) may include the following:

• Surgery (resection) to remove the tumor and the membrane that connects the intestines to the back of the abdominal wall. Nearby lymph nodes are also removed.
• A second surgery to remove the membrane that connects the intestines to the back of the abdominal wall, if any tumor remains or the tumor continues to grow.
• Hormone therapy.

Check for U.S. clinical trials from NCI's list of cancer clinical trials that are now accepting patients with localized gastrointestinal carcinoid tumor and regional gastrointestinal carcinoid tumor. For more specific results, refine the search by using other search features, such as the location of the trial, the type of treatment, or the name of the drug. General information about clinical trials is available from the NCI Web site.

Carcinoid Tumors in the Appendix

Treatment of GI carcinoid tumors in the appendix may include the following:

• Surgery (resection) to remove the appendix.
• Surgery (resection) to remove the right side of the colon including the appendix. Nearby lymph nodes are also removed.

Check for U.S. clinical trials from NCI's list of cancer clinical trials that are now accepting patients with localized gastrointestinal carcinoid tumor and regional gastrointestinal carcinoid tumor. For more specific results, refine the search by using other search features, such as the location of the trial, the type of treatment, or the name of the drug. General information about clinical trials is available from the NCI Web site.

Carcinoid Tumors in the Colon

Treatment of GI carcinoid tumors in the colon may include the following:

• Surgery (resection) to remove part of the colon and nearby lymph nodes, in order to remove as much of the cancer as possible.

Check for U.S. clinical trials from NCI's list of cancer clinical trials that are now accepting patients with localized gastrointestinal carcinoid tumor and regional gastrointestinal carcinoid tumor. For more specific results, refine the search by using other search features, such as the location of the trial, the type of treatment, or the name of the drug. General information about clinical trials is available from the NCI Web site.

Carcinoid Tumors in the Rectum

Treatment of GI carcinoid tumors in the rectum may include the following:

• Endoscopic surgery (resection) for small tumors.
• Surgery (local excision) to remove slightly larger tumors that have not spread into the muscle layer of the rectal wall.
• Surgery (resection) to remove the top part of the rectum and the left side of the colon, for slightly larger tumors that have may spread to the muscle layer of the rectal wall or nearby tissues. Nearby lymph nodes are also removed.
• Surgery (local excision) to remove as much tumor as possible when the tumor has spread to distant parts of the body. This is palliative therapy to relieve symptoms and improve quality of life.

Check for U.S. clinical trials from NCI's list of cancer clinical trials that are now accepting patients with localized gastrointestinal carcinoid tumor and regional gastrointestinal carcinoid tumor. For more specific results, refine the search by using other search features, such as the location of the trial, the type of treatment, or the name of the drug. General information about clinical trials is available from the NCI Web site.

Metastatic Gastrointestinal Carcinoid Tumors

Distant metastases

Treatment of distant metastases of gastrointestinal carcinoid tumors is usually palliative therapy to relieve symptoms and improve quality of life. Treatment may include the following:

• Surgery (resection) to remove as much of the tumor as possible.
• Hormone therapy.
• Radiopharmaceutical therapy.
• Radiation therapy for cancer that has spread to the bone, brain, or spinal cord.
• A clinical trial of a new treatment.

Liver metastases

Treatment of cancer that has spread to the liver may include the following:

• Surgery resection to remove the tumor from the liver.
• Hepatic artery embolization.
• Cryosurgery.
• Radiofrequency ablation.
• Liver transplant.

Check for U.S. clinical trials from NCI's list of cancer clinical trials that are now accepting patients with metastatic gastrointestinal carcinoid tumor. For more specific results, refine the search by using other search features, such as the location of the trial, the type of treatment, or the name of the drug. General information about clinical trials is available from the NCI Web site.

Recurrent Gastrointestinal Carcinoid Tumors

Treatment of recurrent gastrointestinal carcinoid tumors may include the following:

• Surgery to remove part or all of the tumor.
• A clinical trial of a new treatment.

Check for U.S. clinical trials from NCI's list of cancer clinical trials that are now accepting patients with recurrent gastrointestinal carcinoid tumor. For more specific results, refine the search by using other search features, such as the location of the trial, the type of treatment, or the name of the drug. General information about clinical trials is available from the NCI Web site.