Concomitant neuropeptide-producing endometrial carcinomas and ileal carcinoid tumors

The concomitant occurrence of neuropeptide-reactive endometrial carcinoma and ileal carcinoid tumor represents an observation that has been unreported until now. We have seen two patients with this rare combination of tumors. The endometrial carcinomas in these cases manifested focal immunoreactivity for neuron-specific enolase; in addition, one contained rare cells showing positive staining for gastrin, and the other displayed focal content of substance P. The carcinoid tumors seen in each case demonstrated immunocytochemical positivity for neuron-specific enolase and vasoactive intestinal polypeptide, and one also exhibited immunoreactivity for gastrin. Whether this association of neoplasms represents a syndromic complex or a coincidence is a matter of speculation at present.