Carcinoid Tumors

This type of tumor is defined as slow growing tumor which is arise at different site in your body including stomach, appendix, small intestine and lungs. They are the neuroendocrine type tumors.

Symptoms

Signs and symptoms depend upon the location of tumor, general signs include:

Shortness of breath
Diarrhea
Chest pain
Wheezing
Redness
Weight gain
Abdominal pain
Nausea
Rectal pain
Bleeding

Causes

The exact cause to carcinoid tumor is not known yet. Mutation is the major causes of all the cancers and tumor development. The accumulation of mutations in the neuroendocrine cells causes the carcinoid tumor.

Complications

If left untreated it may cause the complications include:

Heart failure
Cushing syndrome
Chronic diarrhea
Skin flushing

Diagnosis

Diagnostic tests include:

Imaging test to check the extend of tumor.
Urine test to rule out the other causes.
Blood test to check the complete count of blood.
Endoscopy to visualize the inner condition of body.

Treatment

Treatment depend upon the overall health condition and severity of the symptoms. Treatment options include:

Surgery to remove the whole affected organ or cancerous tissue.
Drugs to blocked the hormones produce by the certain tumor types which produce the signs and symptoms.
Radiotherapy to killed the tumor cells with the help of radiations.
chemotherapy

Carcinoid Tumors