Carcinoid tumor of the biliary system. Case report and literature review

Work-up of a 62-year-old black male, with a complaint of low back pain for three months, revealed a mass in the porta hepatis, narrowing of the common hepatic duct, and dilated intrahepatic bile ducts. A 3 X 4-cm tumor in the common hepatic duct was excised and biliary continuity restored by hepaticojejunostomy. The excised mass was a carcinoid tumor with no evidence of secretory activity. The patient is well 24.5 months after treatment. The literature on carcinoid tumors of the biliary tract is reviewed.