Gastric carcinoid: a clinical and endoscopic assessment of four cases.

ABSTRACT

We have established a pre-operative diagnosis in four cases of non-secretory gastric carcinoid of the body and fundus presenting as multiple polyps in three patients, and a single polyp mass in the fourth patient. Clinical and endoscopic findings are not specific, and the pre-operative diagnosis was established by means of biopsy or polypectomy. We observed biochemical and histological differences between multiple and single carcinoids, which might indicate different mechanisms of carcinoid pathogenesis.