Important: This page is general information, not medical advice. It does not recommend or prescribe any treatment. Always consult your doctor or pharmacist before starting, stopping or changing any medicine.
About Carcinoid Tumors
Carcinoid tumors are rare, slow-growing cancers. They usually start in the lining of the digestive tract or in the lungs. They grow slowly and don't produce symptoms in the early stages. As a result, the average age of people diagnosed with digestive or lung carcinoids is about 60.
In later stages the tumors sometimes produce hormones that can cause carcinoid syndrome. The syndrome causes flushing of the face and upper chest, diarrhea, and trouble breathing.
Surgery is the main treatment for carcinoid tumors. If they haven't spread to other parts of the body, surgery can cure the cancer.
It sits within Cancers.
The lead U.S. institute for this subject is the National Cancer Institute.
When to speak to someone. Reading about a topic cannot tell you whether it applies to you. Speak to a doctor or pharmacist if symptoms are severe, sudden, getting worse, or simply not going away — and seek emergency care immediately for chest pain, breathing difficulty, sudden weakness or confusion, or a serious allergic reaction.
Research on Carcinoid Tumors
236 studies areregistered for this condition on ClinicalTrials.gov, the U.S. National Library of Medicine's public registry. A selection is below — the links go straight to the registry entry, not to a summary of ours.
What a registered study does and does not mean. Registration means a study exists and has been declared publicly. It says nothing about whether the treatment being tested works, is safe, or is available to you. Many studies find no benefit — that is what research is for. Never seek out an experimental treatment on the strength of a registry entry alone.
Research currently under way
- Octreotide Acetate and Recombinant Interferon Alfa-2b or Bevacizumab in Treating Patients With Metastatic or Locally Advanced, High-Risk Neuroendocrine TumorNational Cancer Institute (NCI)
- Lu-177-DOTATATE (Lutathera) in Combination With Olaparib in Inoperable Gastroenteropancreatico Neuroendocrine Tumors (GEP-NET)National Cancer Institute (NCI)
- Natural History of Familial Carcinoid TumorNational Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK)
- Trial of an Alternative Cabozantinib Dosing Schedule in Metastatic Renal Cell Carcinoma and Neuroendocrine TumorsFox Chase Cancer Center
- Pazopanib Hydrochloride in Treating Patients With Progressive Carcinoid TumorsNational Cancer Institute (NCI)
- Testing Cabozantinib in Patients With Advanced Pancreatic Neuroendocrine and Carcinoid TumorsNational Cancer Institute (NCI)
Research already completed
- RAD001 Plus Octreotide Depot in Metastatic or Unresectable Low Grade Neuroendocrine CarcinomaM.D. Anderson Cancer Center
- Study to Evaluate the Safety, PK, and Dose Response of Paltusotine in Subjects With Carcinoid SyndromeCrinetics Pharmaceuticals Inc.
- A Study Evaluating the Safety and Efficacy of ENV-101 (Taladegib) in Patients With Advanced Solid Tumors Harboring PTCH1 Loss of Function MutationsEndeavor Biomedicines, Inc.
Study data from ClinicalTrials.gov, a service of the U.S. National Library of Medicine. Retrieved 2026-07-30. Registry entries are supplied by study sponsors and investigators; ClinicalTrials.gov does not verify their scientific validity. PocketsInfo is not affiliated with, and not endorsed by, the NLM or the NIH.
Where to read more
Rather than paraphrase, we point you to the primary sources. Every link below is to a government health agency, a national institute or a recognised medical body — grouped by what you are trying to find out.
Start Here
- Carcinoid TumorsMayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research
- General Information About Gastrointestinal Neuroendocrine TumorsNational Cancer Institute
- Lung Neuroendocrine TumorAmerican Cancer Society
- What Is a Gastrointestinal Carcinoid Tumor?American Cancer Society
Diagnosis and Tests
- Can Gastrointestinal Carcinoid Tumors Be Found Early?American Cancer Society
- Early Detection, Diagnosis, and Staging of Lung Neuroendocrine TumorsAmerican Cancer Society
- Lung Carcinoid Tumor StagesAmerican Cancer Society
- Stages of Gastrointestinal Neuroendocrine TumorsNational Cancer Institute
- Tests for Gastrointestinal Carcinoid TumorsAmerican Cancer Society
Treatments and Therapies
- Surgery to Treat Lung Carcinoid TumorsAmerican Cancer Society
- Treating Lung Neuroendocrine TumorsAmerican Cancer Society
- Treatment of Gastrointestinal Carcinoid Tumors, by Extent of DiseaseAmerican Cancer Society
- Treatment Option Overview (Gastrointestinal Neuroendocrine Tumors)National Cancer Institute
Prevention and Risk Factors
- Causes, Risk Factors, and Prevention of Lung Neuroendocrine TumorsAmerican Cancer Society
- Gastrointestinal Carcinoid Tumor Risk FactorsAmerican Cancer Society
Living With
- After Treatment for Lung Neuroendocrine TumorsAmerican Cancer Society
- Living as a Gastrointestinal Carcinoid Tumor SurvivorAmerican Cancer Society
Related Issues
- Questions to Ask about Gastrointestinal Carcinoid TumorsAmerican Cancer Society
Genetics
- What Causes Gastrointestinal Carcinoid TumorsAmerican Cancer Society
Statistics and Research
- Key Statistics about Gastrointestinal Carcinoid TumorsAmerican Cancer Society
Clinical Trials
- ClinicalTrials.gov: Carcinoid TumorNational Institutes of Health
Medical subject headings
Clinicians and researchers index this subject under Carcinoid Tumor. These are the terms to use when searching medical literature.
This page is built from the MedlinePlus health topic record for Carcinoid Tumors, a service of the U.S. National Library of Medicine (NLM), National Institutes of Health. Information is from MedlinePlus.gov. PocketsInfo is not affiliated with, and is not endorsed by, the NLM or the NIH. Retrieved 30 July 2026.