CARCINOID TUMORS AND THE CARCINOID SYNDROME

A bstract Data are presented on 10 cases of carcinoid tumor; 8 of the tumors were in the gastrointestinal tract and 2 in the lung. Two cases were associated with carcinoid syndrome (flushing attacks, diarrhea, bronchospasm); in one of these with marked symptoms, the 24‐hour excretion of 5 hydroxy indole acetic acid reached 107 mg. On the basis of these findings and those reported in some pertinent literature, it would seem that the carcinoid syndrome does not develop unless carcinoid products (including excessive amounts of serotonin) are discharged into the systemic circulation. These products are secreted in abnormally high proportions over normal pathways, and thus reduce the normal formation of other substances necessary for health. The question of whether all carcinoid tumors originate in the gut is still unresolved.