[Personal experience in the treatment of intestinal carcinoids]

The authors report 7 cases of intestinal carcinoids. They examine the clinical aspects and describe and discuss both surgical and medical treatment strategies. They also critically evaluate the value of monitoring some oncological markers and their prognostic significance. Each patient underwent an in-depth evaluation of tumour evolution (CAT, ultrasonography, NMR, angiography) and urinary 5HIAA and platelet 5HT were monitored. Surgery took the form of ileal or ileocolic resection, gastric resection, exeresis of the tumour using a transanal route, ligature of the right branch of the hepatic artery afferent to the metastasised lobe of the liver. Five patients were treated using chemotherapy and three, also suffering from carcinoid syndrome, with octreotide. On the basis of their personal experience the authors underline the limited value of the study of 5HT and 5HIAA tumour markers in the diagnosis of small carcinoid tumours. This is compensated by the outstanding role of these markers in the diagnosis of the hepatic and/or lymphoglandular diffusion of the tumour. These markers were not influenced by octreotide treatment in cases in which longastatin was successfully used to combat carcinoid syndrome. Their behaviour allowed useful information to be acquired regarding the tumour evolution following surgery.