Ovarian carcinoid with severe constipation due to peptide YY production

We report a patient with primary trabecular carcinoid of the ovary with severe constipation probably due to peptide YY production by the tumor. A 43-year-old female had complained of severe constipation for several months and was found to have a left ovarian tumor. The surgically resected tumor was diagnosed as trabecular carcinoid by light microscopic examination. The carcinoid tumor cells were intensely and uniformly stained by the Grimelius technique. Immunohistochemically, the tumor cells were strongly positive for peptide YY, which has a strong inhibitory action on intestinal motility. The patient has been free from constipation since the removal of the tumor. The present case supports previously reported findings that not typical carcinoid syndrome but rather severe constipation accompanies primary trabecular carcinoid of the ovary, and that peptide YY is presumably the cause of the constipation.