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Carcinoid Syndrome
Medical Questions » Carcinoid Syndrome
Name: Carcinoid Syndrome |
Also known as: |
A cancer that starts in argentaffin cells inside the small intestine, stomach or lung. |
Causes of Carcinoid Syndrome Argentaffin cells are responsible for producing a number of essential hormones (eg. serotonin) for the functioning of the gut and body in general. When these cells become cancerous, they produce excessive amounts of these hormones, which causes unusual symptoms. |
Symptoms of Carcinoid Syndrome May develop very rapidly, and patients can become severely ill in a few days. Symptoms include hot flushes of the face, swelling of the head and neck, diarrhoea and stomach cramps, asthma and bleeding into the skin. |
Tests for Carcinoid Syndrome Blood or urine tests can be carried out to identify the high levels of serotonin and other hormones. |
Treatment for Carcinoid Syndrome Prednisone (a steroid) is used in the emergency treatment of the disease, and other medications are given to control the other symptoms. Drugs such as interferon can sometimes be used to destroy the cancer cells.
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Complications of Carcinoid Syndrome of its treatment The site of the cancer is often very difficult to find, as it is usually very small and slow growing. It also tends to spread at an early stage to other areas, so even if the original is removed, the syndrome may continue due to the production of hormones in high levels by newly formed and very small cancers in multiple sites. |
Likely Outcome of Carcinoid Syndrome Because of its slow growth rate, it may take 10 or 15 years for the disease to progress from the stage of being a nuisance that requires constant medication, to being life-threatening. |
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