Clinical manifestations of carcinoid disease

Carcinoid tumors are relatively uncommon tumors and their presentation is varied. For these reasons, a high index of suspicion is necessary in order to consider the diagnosis. It is important to separate the "syndrome" from the primary tumor. It is obviously more effective to diagnose the tumor itself before the syndrome manifests itself, usually as a result of metastatic disease. Since the tumors are characteristically slow-growing, the physician may be misled into thinking the patient has functional problems rather than a tumor. Some data and guidelines are given for focusing on the signs and symptoms of carcinoid disease.