Appendiceal carcinoid at a large tertiary center: pathologic findings and long-term follow-up evaluation.

BACKGROUND: Appendiceal carcinoid tumor is the most common type of primary appendiceal malignant lesion. Nonetheless; it is an exceedingly rare diagnosis; found in only about .3% to .9% of appendectomy specimens. We report the clinical and pathologic characteristics of carcinoids found with long-term follow-up evaluation. METHODS: Data of patients who were histologically reported to have carcinoid tumor of the appendix; in a single center; during a 16-year period were collected retrospectively. In addition; patients were contacted for current follow-up information. RESULTS: A total of 44 patients were diagnosed with appendiceal carcinoid during the study period. The median follow-up period for the cohort was 7 years. No evidence of any recurrent disease or other noncarcinoid neoplasm was found. CONCLUSIONS: Our data confirm the good prognosis as seen in earlier reports. The long-term significance of having a carcinoid; and whether this poses a risk for future neoplasms; need even longer-term studies.