Small bowel carcinoid: review of a single institution experience and review of the literature.

We have undertaken a review of the small bowel carcinoids treated at Georgia Baptist Medical Center during the last 27 years in order to evaluate the clinical behavior, diagnostic approaches, treatment options, and prognosis of these neoplasms. A retrospective analysis of the tumor registry at Georgia Baptist Medical Center was undertaken. A total of 148 cases of carcinoid tumors were identified. Of these, 34 were located in the small bowel. Twenty-eight of these cases were diagnosed at our institution. The others were referred for oncology care. The patient records were reviewed for sex, race, age at presentation, location, 5-HIAA status, coexistent neoplasms, multifocality, size, metastatic status, clinical presentation, diagnostic intervention, extension, adjuvant therapy, treatment intervention, and survival. A review of the available literature was undertaken to analyze the historical results in the aforementioned categories. In retrospect, many of these tumors had been clinically active for some time. The authors outline a more aggressive workup in order to avoid acute, in extremis, and late stage presentation. We present an analysis of traditional views on survival and prognosis as related to the size and spread of small bowel carcinoid. We expect that this information will assist in the development of definitive treatment, effective adjuvant therapy, and symptomatic relief for this often frustrating neoplasm.