Carcinoid, derived from "Karznoid" coined by Oberndorfer in 1907, means a carcinoma-like tumor without malignancy, but now generally accepeted to have a malignant potential. It is a interesting disease because of the endocrine potential,
malignant
potential and frequent association with other neoplasm. We reviewed 26 cases of carcinoid tumor, which had been treated at Hanyang University Hospital between January 1985 and June 1993. All were occured in adult age, and the older the age, the
more
frequent the disease. Peak incidence was in the seventh decades, and sex ratio was of 1:1 The common sites were the stomach, rectum, appendix in order of frequency. The symptoms were non-specific, and abdominal pain was common. In one case, there
was
diarrhea suggesting the syndrome. The definite diagnosis was made by post-operative biopsy in majority and endoscopic biopsy in minority. The laboratory and radiologic tests were of limited values. The frequency of malignant carcinoid was most
common in
midgut(85.7%), compared with foregut(63.6%) and hindgut(20%). In lesions larger than 2cm in diameter, 88.2% of cases were malignant, compared with 0% in smaller than 1cm in diameter.Seven cases(26.9%) had another neoplasms and five of these were
developed in one lesion. Complete follow up was achieved in 16 cases(61.5%), and six of them(37.5%) died of their carcinoid. The five-year survival rate was 66.6%.
|