Carcinoid Syndrome in a Patient with Duodenal Carcinoid Tumor

Duodenal carcinoid tumors accounts for 5% of all Gastrointestinal Neuroendocrine Tumors (GI-NETs). Only 4% of all duodenal carcinoid tumors present with a full-blown carcinoid syndrome. We report a case of duodenal carcinoid tumor presenting as carcinoid syndrome in a 58 year old man, who presented with upper abdominal discomfort, diarrhoea, hot flushes and occasional wheezing. Histopathology following endoscopic resection of the tumor and 24 hour urinary 5-Hydroxyindolacetic acid (5-HIAA) confirmed the diagnosis. Duodenal carcinoid tumors are one of the rarest tumors of gastrointestinal tract and their association with a typical carcinoid syndrome is not that common. A high level of suspicion is required for an early diagnosis. With proper resection (endoscopic or surgical) of a localized tumor, recurrence and progression of the disease can be halted. Symptoms of carcinoid syndrome should be controlled by antidiarrheal agents, inhaled β-adrenergic agonist bronchodilators and somatostatin analogs (octreotide, lanreotide). Patients should be advised to avoid stress and conditions or substances that precipitate these symptoms. Dietary supplementation with nicotinamide can help in this regard. Patients with hepatic metastases are treated with synthetic analogues of somatostatin (octreotide, lanreotide). Systemic chemotherapy is not recommended in metastatic disease by the current guidelines. Patients should be followed up by monitoring serum chromogranin and urinary 5-HIAA. EUS, CT, MRI & somatostatin receptor scintigraphy can also be used for following up the patients.