title: Surgical treatment of advanced-stage carcinoid tumors: lessons learned.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate clinical outcomes in a large group of advanced-stage carcinoid patients (stage IV) following multimodal surgical therapy.
  
  
  BACKGROUND
  Patients with advanced-stage carcinoid have traditionally experienced poor 5-year survival (18%-30%). Few recent series have evaluated a large number of patients treated with aggressive surgical rescue therapy.
  
  
  METHODS
  This single-center retrospective review analyzes the records of 82 consecutive carcinoid patients treated by the same 2 surgeons, from August 1998 through August 2004 with a 3- to 72-month follow-up.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Surprisingly, one third of 26 (32%) patients were found to have intestinal obstructions; 10 being moribund at presentation. Mesenteric encasement with intestinal ischemia was successfully relieved in 10 of 12 cases. Five of eighty-two "terminal" patients were rendered free of macroscopic disease. Karnofsky performance scores improved from 65 to 85 (P < 0.0001). Two- and four-year survival for patients with no or unilateral liver metastases (n = 23) was 89%, while 2- and 4-year survival for patients with bilateral liver disease (n = 59) was 68% and 52% (P = 0.072), respectively.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  We think that all patients with advanced-stage carcinoid should be evaluated for possible multimodal surgical therapy. Primary tumors should be resected, even in the presence of distant metastases to prevent future intestinal obstruction. The "wait and see" method of management of this slow-growing cancer no longer has merit. We offer an algorithm for the surgical evaluation and management of these patients.
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center, New Orleans, Louisiana, USA. philip.boudreaux@tenethealth.com
authors.forename: J Philip
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Boudreaux
authors.forename: Bradley
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Putty
authors.forename: Daniel J
authors.initials: DJ
authors.lastname: Frey
authors.forename: Eugene
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Woltering
authors.forename: Lowell
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Anthony
authors.forename: Ivonne
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Daly
authors.forename: Thiagarajan
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Ramcharan
authors.forename: Jorge
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Lopera
authors.forename: Wilfrido
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Castaneda
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000465:Algorithms; D018931:Antineoplastic Agents, Hormonal / Q000008:administration & dosage; D002276:Carcinoid Tumor / Q000150:complications / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery*; D016461:Chemoembolization, Therapeutic; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007414:Intestinal Neoplasms / Q000150:complications / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery*; D007415:Intestinal Obstruction / Q000209:etiology; D008113:Liver Neoplasms / Q000556:secondary; D008297:Male; D008303:Malignant Carcinoid Syndrome / Q000209:etiology; D008875:Middle Aged; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D015282:Octreotide / Q000008:administration & dosage; D012189:Retrospective Studies
chemical_list: D018931:Antineoplastic Agents, Hormonal; D015282:Octreotide