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Cervical metastases from small bowel carcinoid tumors
Journal of Surgical Oncology
|October 1, 1983
Summary
Neck metastases from small bowel carcinoid tumors are rare but possible. Consider intraabdominal carcinoid tumors in patients with neck masses containing metastatic carcinoid for accurate diagnosis and prognosis.
Area of Science:
- Oncology
- Gastroenterology
- Endocrinology
Background:
- Small bowel carcinoid tumors typically metastasize to regional lymph nodes and the liver.
- Metastases to the neck from small bowel carcinoid tumors are exceptionally rare.
Observation:
- Over a ten-year period, 3 out of 48 diagnosed small bowel carcinoid cases (6%) presented with neck metastases.
- These neck metastases involved the thyroid gland in one case and cervical lymph nodes in two cases.
- Symptoms of carcinoid syndrome were present in two patients, while one was asymptomatic with a solitary neck mass.
Findings:
- Elevated urine 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid (5-HIAA) levels were observed in symptomatic patients.
- Surgical extirpation and chemotherapy with 5-fluorouracil were administered to two patients.
- Histological examination revealed similar patterns and argentaffin-positive granules in primary and metastatic lesions.
Implications:
- Intraabdominal carcinoid tumors should be suspected in patients presenting with neck masses containing metastatic carcinoid.
- The prognosis for patients with extraabdominal carcinoid metastases appears comparable to those with intraabdominal disease only.