Endoscopic resection of rectal carcinoid tumors using aspiration lumpectomy.

BACKGROUND AND STUDY AIMS

Although carcinoid tumors have malignant potential, complete resection can be curative if the lesion is located within the submucosal layer. In this study, we evaluated the effectiveness of endoscopic aspiration lumpectomy for the treatment of small rectal carcinoid tumors.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

Eight patients with rectal carcinoid tumors less than 10 mm in diameter and located within the submucosa were treated by aspiration lumpectomy. It was confirmed that none of the patients had any metastatic lesions before treatment. The procedure was carried out using an endoscope with a cylinder attached to the tip and a Teflon tube along its outer axis. The lesion was aspirated into the cylinder, grasped by a snare passed through the tube, and then resected.

RESULTS

All lesions were excised completely, without any complications. The resected specimens were circular, with the lesions located in the center of the surrounding mucosa. The diameter of the specimens (mean +/- SD) was 18.3 +/- 6.2 mm. All tumors were histologically typical, and the lateral and bottom margins of the specimens were free of tumor cells. No recurrences or distant metastases were found in any of the patients during the mean observation period of 13.3 months.

CONCLUSIONS

We conclude that aspiration lumpectomy is a useful and safe technique for the treatment of small rectal carcinoid tumors contained within the submucosa.