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Treatment Options for Carcinoid Tumors
Management of Symptoms of Carcinoid Tumors
Chemotherapeutic drugs used for the treatment of carcinoid tumors include:
- 5-fluorouracl (5-FU)
- Streptozotocin
- Adriamycin
Biologic therapy and chemotherapy may be used alone or in combination.
Under certain circumstances, various procedures may be utilized to debulk (shrink) the size of the tumor. These debulking procedures may include surgery, arterial embolization, cryosurgery, or radiofrequency ablation. Debulking the tumor also reduces the number of cells expressing the substances or hormones related to the symptoms.
Depending upon the specific clinical complications of the disease, additional surgery may be required to relieve complications such bowel obstruction or, if the heart valves are damaged, valve replacement surgery may be necessary.
