Published in:
01-07-2007
Viability of Endoscopic and Excisional Treatment of Early Rectal Carcinoids
Authors:
Anders Merg, MD, Debrah Wirtzfeld, MD, Jiping Wang, MD, PhD, Richard Cheney, MD, Kelli Bullard Dunn, MD, Ashwani Rajput, MD
Published in:
Journal of Gastrointestinal Surgery
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Issue 7/2007
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Abstract
With the advent of endoscopy, the incidence of rectal carcinoid tumors has not only risen, but the majority are localized at presentation. This has led to excisional and/or ablative therapy in lieu of radical resections. A single institute’s experience with rectal carcinoids was reviewed to determine the impact this approach has had on outcomes, and evaluate any selection criteria for optimizing patient survival. A single institute’s tumor registry was retrospectively queried, identifying 14 patients with rectal carcinoid tumors over a 28-year period. The mean age at diagnosis was 52.1 ± 14.4 years. Six of the 14 patients were female. Presenting symptoms included a change in bowel habits in six (38%), rectal bleeding in six (38%), and abdominal pain or distention in five (31%) patients. No patient had symptoms consistent with carcinoid syndrome. The rectal carcinoids were a mean 9.2 ± 3.4 cm from the anal verge and a mean 9 ± 6 mm in size. Endoscopic and/or transanal excision/fulguration techniques treated 11 (79%) patients, whereas two (14%) patients underwent a low anterior resection (LAR). Surveillance entailed periodic endoscopy for a median 65 months (range 8–281). No patient developed recurrent carcinoid disease for a 20-year overall survival of 70%.