Chemotherapy for metastatic carcinoid tumors: experiences with 32 patients and a review of the literature.

An analysis of results of chemotherapy in 32 patients with metastatic carcinoid tumors was carried out. The most frequently used chemotherapeutic agent was 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) followed by nitrosoureas in combination with 5-FU or with cyclophosphamide. Adriamycin (used as adriamycin-DNA complex) alone or in combination with other drugs was used in seven patients. Seven partial responses were observed, five of them occurring in the patients receiving adriamycin-containing regimens. Based on these findings, adriamycin deserves further evaluation in metastatic carcinoid tumors.