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Causes
By Mayo Clinic staffCancer occurs when a cell develops a mutation in its DNA. The mutation allows the cell to continue growing and dividing when healthy cells would normally die. In the case of carcinoid tumors, the accumulating cells form a mass. Cancer cells can invade nearby healthy tissue and spread to other parts of the body.
It's not clear what causes the mutations that can lead to carcinoid tumors.
Carcinoid tumors develop in neuroendocrine cells. These are cells found in various organs throughout the body that perform some nerve cell functions and some hormone-producing endocrine cell functions. Some hormones that are produced by neuroendocrine cells are adrenaline, serotonin and histamine.
- Kulke MH. Clinical presentation and management of carcinoid tumors. Hematology/Oncology Clinics of North America. 2007;21:433.
- Pasieka JL. Carcinoid tumors. Surgical Clinics of North America. 2009;89:1123.
- Chang BB, et al. Neuroendocrine carcinoma. In: Kantarjian HM, et al. MD Anderson Manual of Medical Oncology. New York, N.Y.: McGraw Hill; 2006. http://www.accessmedicine.com/content.aspx?aID=2790810. Accessed Aug. 6, 2010.
- Lung carcinoid tumor. American Cancer Society. http://www.cancer.org/acs/groups/cid/documents/webcontent/003117-pdf.pdf. Accessed Aug. 6, 2010.
- Scherubel H, et al. Neuroendocrine tumors of the stomach (gastric carcinoids) are on the rise: Small tumors, small problems? Endoscopy. 2010;42:664.
- Sitaraman SV, et al. Diagnosis of the carcinoid syndrome and tumor localization. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed Aug. 3, 2010.
- Jensen RT. Endocrine tumors of the gastrointestinal tract and pancreas. In: Fauci AS, et al. Harrison's Principles of Internal Medicine. 17th ed. New York, N.Y.: McGraw Hill; 2008. http://www.accessmedicine.com/content.aspx?aID=2886966. Accessed Aug. 6, 2010.
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