Carcinoid Tumors Of The Lung

What Is It?

Carcinoid tumors have been called "cancers in slow motion." They grow slowly and are less likely than other tumors to spread (metastasize) to other parts of the body.

Most carcinoid tumors originate in the small intestine, but about 10 percent originate somewhere in the lungs. Carcinoid tumors of the lung make up only 1 percent to 3 percent of all lung cancers.

Some carcinoid tumors produce hormones that can cause a number of symptoms, but carcinoid tumors in the lung are much less likely to do so.

There are two types of carcinoid tumors of the lung: typical and atypical. Typical carcinoid tumors are about nine times more common than atypical carcinoid tumors, and are less likely to spread beyond the lungs.

Carcinoid tumors of the lung occur equally in women and men, and appear mostly in people ages 45 to 55.

Symptoms

Carcinoid tumors tend to occur near the center of the lungs. For this reason, more common symptoms include coughing up blood or pneumonia. Sometimes, these tumors don't produce any symptoms, and are found on a routine chest X-ray. The severity and range of symptoms depend on the size of the tumor and whether it produces abnormal hormones. Potential symptoms include:

• A persistent cough
• Coughing up blood (hemoptysis)
• Shortness of breath or wheezing
• Pneumonia (a lung infection)
• Facial flushing
• Diarrhea
• Fast heartbeat
• Weight gain
• Increased facial and body hair

Diagnosis

Carcinoid tumors can be seen on routine chest X-rays and computed tomography (CT) scans. When a tumor is seen on an X-ray or CT scan, your doctor will need to remove cells from the tumor so they can be examined under a microscope. This is called a biopsy. A lung biopsy can be taken in several ways:

• In bronchoscopy, a fiber-optic viewing tube is passed into the lungs through your airways. It allows your doctor to examine the tumor directly and also to remove cells for examination. This procedure is most effective when the tumor is located near the center of the lung.
• Needle biopsy is a technique for removing cells from tumors outside the central airways. Guided by a CT scan, the doctor inserts a long needle between the ribs and uses it to remove (aspirate) tissue from the tumor.
• Thoracotomy, or surgically opening the chest cavity, may be necessary to obtain a biopsy in some cases.

If your doctor suspects that you have a carcinoid tumor, he or she also may order blood and urine tests that would detect any abnormal hormones the tumor might be producing.