Surgical therapy for endocrine tumors of abdominal origin

Surgery continues to be the primary treatment of endocrine neoplasia. Only occasionally are other therapies appropriate and, in those cases, usually only for palliation. In this review, we address the surgical management of endocrine tumors of the pancreas, the adrenal glands, and the gastrointestinal tract (specifically carcinoid tumors). Endocrine tumors, although rare, often present in quite dramatic fashion but are generally associated with excellent survival rates when treated with appropriate surgical resection.