Neurologic complications of carcinoid

Area of Science:

• Oncology
• Neurology

Background:

• Carcinoid tumors can lead to various complications.
• Neurologic complications are a significant concern in patients with carcinoid tumors.

Purpose of the Study:

• To analyze the frequency and types of neurologic complications in patients with carcinoid tumors.
• To evaluate the response of neurologic metastases to radiation therapy.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective review of patient records from Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center (1974-1984).
• Analysis of 219 patients treated for carcinoid tumors, focusing on metastatic and non-metastatic complications.

Main Results:

• 36 out of 219 patients developed neurologic complications.
• Central nervous system (CNS) metastases were the most frequent neurologic complication (29% of metastatic cases).
• Common complications included spinal cord compression, intracranial metastases, and peripheral nerve lesions.

Conclusions:

• Neurologic complications of carcinoid tumors resemble those of other systemic cancers.
• CNS metastases are a relatively common occurrence in metastatic carcinoid disease.
• Carcinoid syndrome is less frequent than CNS metastasis.