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Treatments and drugs
By Mayo Clinic staffTreatment for a carcinoid tumor depends on the tumor's location, whether cancer has spread to other areas of the body, the types of hormones the tumor secretes, your overall health and your own preferences.
Treatments can include:
Surgery
When detected early, a carcinoid tumor may be removed completely using surgery. If carcinoid tumors are advanced when discovered, complete removal may not be possible. In some cases, surgeons may try to remove as much of the tumor as possible, to help control signs and symptoms. What types of operations are available to you will depend on the size and location of your carcinoid tumor.
Treatments for carcinoid tumors that have spread to the liver
Carcinoid tumors commonly spread (metastasize) to the liver. Options for treatment may include:
- Liver surgery. Surgery to remove part of the liver (hepatic resection) may control signs and symptoms caused by liver tumors.
- Stopping blood supply to liver tumors. Using hepatic artery embolization, a doctor can clog the liver's main artery (hepatic artery), cutting off the blood supply to cancer cells that have spread to the liver. Healthy liver cells survive by relying on blood from other blood vessels.
- Killing cancer cells with heat or cold. Radiofrequency ablation delivers heat treatments that cause carcinoid tumor cells in the liver to die. Cryoablation uses cycles of freezing and thawing to kill cancer cells.
Medications for carcinoid syndrome
Injections of medications may block tumor cells from secreting the hormones that can cause the signs and symptoms of carcinoid syndrome. Octreotide (Sandostatin) and lanreotide (Somatuline Depot) may help control flushing and diarrhea in most people with carcinoid syndrome. Octreotide is initially injected daily until the necessary dose is established, and then it's injected once a month. Lanreotide is injected once a month. Side effects from either medication may include abdominal pain and bloating, diarrhea, dizziness, and nausea. Side effects typically diminish over time.
Radiation and chemotherapy
Radiation and chemotherapy generally aren't effective in treating carcinoid tumors, but they may help relieve some of the more-serious symptoms caused by carcinoid tumors.
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- 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.
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- 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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