J.Jpn. Surg. Soc.. 122(1): 18-25, 2021

---

Feature topic

TREATMENT OF TYPICAL CARCINOID TUMORS

Typical bronchial carcinoid tumors are neuroendocrine bronchopulmonary neoplasms. They are well-differentiated, low-grade, slowly growing neoplasms that seldom metastasize to extrathoracic structures. The treatment of lung carcinoid tumors depends on their type (typical versus atypical) and extent (resectable versus unresectable) based on the Japan Lung Cancer Society’s Guidelines for Diagnosis and Treatment of Lung Cancer 2018 and the US National Comprehensive Cancer Network guidelines. For patients with localized lung carcinoids, typical surgical resection such as lobectomy and mediastinal lymph node dissection are recommended. In terms of typical carcinoid tumors, surgeons can attempt to preserve the parenchyma by using lung-sparing techniques (e.g., sleeve resection) because the lymph node metastasis rate is lower than with atypical carcinoids. There is a lack of clarity on the optimal treatment for unresectable tumors. Unresectable typical carcinoids are also slowly growing neoplasms. Observation may be sufficient because the benefits of chemotherapy and radiotherapy are unclear. Somatostatin analogue therapy could be used for somatostatin receptor-positive patients, but there is a lack of research recommending it. In conclusion, appropriate staging and diagnosis are important because the treatment of carcinoids depends on the histological subtype and tumor progression rate.

---

---

To read the PDF file you will need Adobe Reader installed on your computer.