1. Understanding the Gastrointestinal Carcinoid Tumor
Gastrointestinal carcinoid tumors begin in the cells that produce hormones in the GI tract. These hormones are usually responsible for the production of digestive juices and producing muscle contractions that push food through the digestive tract. These tumors can be in the esophagus, the stomach, the appendix, the intestine and the rectum. Many times, gastrointestinal carcinoid tumors lead to other gastrointestinal cancers.
2. Symptoms of the Gastrointestinal Carcinoid Tumor
A gastrointestinal carcinoid tumor usually will not have any signs or symptoms in its early stages. Many times, blood and liver enzymes naturally destroy these tumors. However, if they are not destroyed, they could grow in size and symptoms become evident. Symptoms can include redness and swelling in the facial areas, uncontrollable diarrhea, a rapid heart beat, shortness of breath, fatigue, swelling in the ankles and feet, wheezing and a feeling of being bloated or full in the abdomen area. These symptoms could indicate the presence of a gastrointestinal carcinoid tumor or another serious condition. If you have these symptoms, you should consult a doctor as soon as possible.
3. Diagnosing the Gastrointestinal Carcinoid Tumor
Gastrointestinal carcinoid tumors grow very slowly. Therefore, they are very hard to diagnose and many doctors will usually rule out other possibilities before exploring the possibility of a gastrointestinal carcinoid tumor. When attempting to diagnose this condition, a doctor will order a series of blood and urine tests that will determine the amount of serotonin in the blood. A doctor may also order some imaging tests such as a barium x-ray, a CT or an MRI. Imaging will show the presence of a gastrointestinal carcinoid tumor.
4. Treatment of the Gastrointestinal Carcinoid Tumor
If the gastrointestinal carcinoid tumor is not showing any symptoms, a doctor may not do anything to treat it immediately. However, there are several things a doctor can do to treat the tumor if there are symptoms present. If the tumor is located in the appendix, he may recommend an appendectomy. If it is located in the rectum, the intestine or in the stomach, the doctor will perform surgery to remove the tumor.
5. Living with a Gastrointestinal Carcinoid Tumor
Once you find out you have symptomatic gastrointestinal carcinoid tumor, you will need to have it treated immediately. If left untreated, the tumor could grow in size and other tumors could possibly grow. If the gastrointestinal carcinoid tumor does not have any symptoms, a doctor may simply watch it because sometimes, they are destroyed by blood and liver enzymes. However, a tumor with symptoms is one that cannot be destroyed and has reached advanced stages. A doctor must remove these advanced tumors as soon as possible.
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