Gastrointestinal (GI) Oncology Program

Gastrointestinal Carcinoid Tumor

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Nader Hanna, M.D.

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Naimish Pandya, M.D.

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Gastrointestinal carcinoid tumor is a disease in which cancerous cells develop in certain hormone-making cells of the digestive, or gastrointestinal system.

The hormone-making cells, called neuroendocrine cells, help control the digestive process. Carcinoid tumors are formed when these cells undergo changes that cause them to grow too much. Carcinoid tumors grow slowly, and many are found while they are still at an early stage.

Carcinoid tumors can occur elsewhere in the body (primarily the lungs), but the majority of them occur in the digestive system (primarily the small intestine). The American Cancer Society estimates that about 2,500 gastrocarcinoid tumors are diagnosed in the United States each year.



This page was last updated on: March 19, 2008.

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