Search Results for: carcinoid syndrome
If my mother has carcinoid and I have symptoms similar to those of carcinoid, what tests should I have?
Only 1-2% of carcinoids are familial. If you have symptoms suggestive of carcinoid syndrome, the tests to do are urine 5-HIAA, blood serotonin, tryptophan and chromogranin A. All large commercial laboratories can do these tests and your family doctor…
READ MOREIf the 5-HIAA test misses up to 50% of carcinoid tumors, does this refer to both symptomatic & asymptomatic carcinoid tumors?
Urine 5-HIAA will correctly diagnose almost all midgut carcinoid tumors causing carcinoid syndrome but only 1/2 of foregut carcinoids causing an endocrine syndrome and almost none of the hindgut carcinoid (which rarely cause any endocrine syndrome…
READ MOREIs a colonoscopy to rule out GI lesions or an OctreoScan required after removal of an appendix with a small carcinoid?
If the carcinoid was greater than 1.5 cm diameter, or if it extended through the appendiceal wall to the serosa or the fat regardless of size, or if mesoappendix or nodes involvement were present – a right hemicolectomy should be done preceded by …
READ MORECan the hormones or chemicals released by a carcinoid stimulate the thyroid gland to produce more T3 & T4 the way TSH does?
Serotonin and the other usual products of carcinoids do not stimulate the thyroid or the adrenal glands. However, on rare occasions a carcinoid can co-produce other hormonal substances in addition to serotonin and chromogranin A. These could be TSH …
READ MORECan you provide information about carcinoid in the appendix?
Carcinoid is found coincidentally in approximately 1 of every 200 appendixes removed. Its importance depends on its size and also whether its growth is limited to just the lining of the appendix. Most of them are tiny and just a harmless curiosity. …
READ MOREIs Zoloft an acceptable antidepressant for carcinoid patients ?
Zoloft is okay for patients without carcinoid syndrome but not those who have it. They are better are better treated with Elavil or Nortryptyline.…
READ MOREIs it okay to use Prozac if you have a lung carcinoid?
A Selective Seratonin Reuptake Inhibitor (SSRI) is an antidepressant medication that typically decreases anxiety as well as depression (Prozac, Zoloft, Paxil). It acts by blocking the reuptake of serotonin. It is contraindicated in patients with…
READ MOREShould carcinoid patients take niacin? If so, how much? Does it cause any side effects?
The nutritional deficiency disease pellagra results from niacin deficiency. Diarrhea is one symptom of pellagra. All carcinoid syndrome patients have subnormal blood levels of tryptophan, an evidence of its depletion by being diverted to make …
READ MOREWhat are the dietary recommendations for a patient with carcinoid of the liver?
Other than a well-rounded diet supplemented by the standard one-a-day vitamin, there is no recognized specific dietary treatment for metastatic carcinoid in the liver if liver failure or carcinoid syndrome are not present. If a significant degree…
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9 News Items for the Carcinoid and Neuroendocrine Cancer Community
1. Groundbreaking research from Novartis as they develop drugs that train our immune system to detect and fight tumors. Dr. Glenn Dranoff, a cancer vaccine expert, will lead Novartis’ new research efforts in the area of immuno-oncology. Read …
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