title: [Drug therapy of carcinoids of the gastrointestinal tract].
abstract: Carcinoid tumors are rare and slowly growing neuroendocrine tumors of the foregut, midgut and hindgut. Drug therapy is of special importance in patients with inoperable metastasising disease. This palliative therapy is aimed at reduction of the hormone-dependent symptoms and inhibition of tumor growth. Somatostatin analogues, alpha-interferon and various chemotherapeutic agents are used for this purpose. Drug therapy can be supplemented by surgical and radiological intervention through interdisciplinary cooperation of the surgeon, radiologist, endocrinologist and gastroenterologist.
authors.affiliation: Klinik und Poliklinik Innere Medizin, Schwerpunkt Endokrinologie und Stoffwechselerkrankungen, Johannes-Gutenberg-Universität, Mainz.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Engelbach
authors.forename: C P
authors.initials: CP
authors.lastname: Heusel
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Kriegsmann
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Both
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Walgenbach
mesh_terms: D000971:Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D002276:Carcinoid Tumor / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000473:pathology; D005770:Gastrointestinal Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000473:pathology; D006801:Humans; D016898:Interferon-alpha / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D011379:Prognosis; D013004:Somatostatin / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000627:therapeutic use
chemical_list: D016898:Interferon-alpha; D013004:Somatostatin