GASTROINTESTINAL carcinoid ESSAY

Abstract

Carcinoid Tumours are rare neoplasms, with an estimated incidence ofbetween 0.7 and 2.0 per 1 oo ooo of the g c e al population: ' Most reports indicate a slightly higher incidence irt females. Malignant ' - ' carcinoids are 40 %more common in males and benign carcinoids•twice as common in females (Modlin and Sandor 1997). The origin of carcinoid neoplasms is the enterochromaffin or Kulchitsky cell of the gastrointestinal tract. These are neuroedocrine cells which originate from the same progeny stem as all the other epithelial cells of the GI tract. They are • considered part_ of the diffuse neuroendocrine system because of their Amine Precursor Uptake and Decarboxylation (APUD) function. Carcinoid tumors• are traditionally classified by their embryological site of origin into foregut, midgut and hindgut lesions (Goede and Winstel, 2003). Epidemiological study of 8305 cases showed that 74% occur in

the GI tract, tracheobronchial site being the second most common, ,25%. The most common sites are distal to the jejunum. The appendix (18.9%) and ileum (15.42%) comprise more than a third of all cases (Modlin and Sandor 1997). Onaitis et al, 2000, at a tertiary referral center, characterized 336

gastrointestinal carcinoids and found the most common sites were ileal

(50%), pancreatic (16%), gastric (10 %) and rectal (10%)

The aim of this study is to throw light on these tumours, their possible aetiology, pathology, clinical presentation, and the modern trends of their diagnosis and treatment. .