Childhood carcinoid tumors: description of a case series in a Brazilian cancer center

Abstract

CONTEXT AND OBJECTIVE: Carcinoid tumors are very rare both in children and adults. About 85% of these tumors develop in the gastrointestinal tract. The objective of the present study was to describe our experience with children treated of carcinoid tumors, and investigate the frequency morphological findings and results. DESIGN AND SETTING: Report on case series, at the Department of Pediatrics of Centro de Tratamento e Pesquisa Hospital do Câncer, São Paulo. METHODS: This was a retrospective analysis of clinical pathological data and outcomes among children (< 18 years old) with carcinoid tumors admitted from January 1, 1990, to December 31, 2001. RESULTS: Nine patients (mean age 12.2 years) were included: six girls and three boys (2:1), all of them Caucasian. In eight cases (89%), the primary tumor site was the appendix and in one (11%) it was the left bronchus. For those with primary tumor in the appendix, the main complaint was abdominal pain, which led to appendectomy. Only one patient underwent right hemicolectomy due to tumor extension into the serosa. The patient with bronchial tumor underwent left pneumonectomy. All patients had localized disease and are alive and free of disease. They have had follow-ups lasting from 1 to 11 years (mean of 3.5 years). CONCLUSION: Although the majority of carcinoid tumors arise from the appendix, these tumors can also occur in other primary sites. Surgical resection at an early stage allows for good prognosis without the need for any adjuvant treatment.

Carcinoid Tumors in Children and Adolescents

“…This is similar to the pediatric experience reported in a German series of 0.16%, 12 as well as from other series including both adult and pediatric patients with a prevalence ranging from 0.17% to 0.52%. 4,5,10,11,14,[16][17][18][19] In our series, CTs of the appendix were found more commonly in the apex and mid portion of the appendix (66% and 33%, respectively), consistent with the results of others. 5,11 There were no significant demographic or clinical differences between this cohort of appendiceal and bronchial CTs compared with other reports elsewhere in the literature.…”

Bronchial Carcinoid Tumours in Children — A Review

“…In children airways are smaller and more delicate than in adults; therefore, paediatric experience and technical skill of the surgeon are of great importance to obtain the best result. Pneumonectomy has been reported for BC in children, 21,[32][33][34] but fortunately in more recent years the use of pneumonectomy has declined. 12,16 Clean transaction lines, minimal handling of mucosa, avoidance of devascularisation and precise placement of the suture are the bases for successful bronchoplastic techniques, 27 keeping in mind that in BC the resection can be performed with free margins of only 1-2 mm without an increase in the local recurrence rate.…”

Appendiceal carcinoid tumor with lymph node metastasis in a child: case report and review of the literature

“…Moertel et al [20] found no recurrences when analyzing their entire patient data in the group up to 20 years. We performed a MEDLINE search summarizing additional series [21][22][23][24][25][26][27][28][29][30] and did not find any documented case of a childhood solitary enterochromaffin cell AC with completely resected PT having metastases beyond LNM or relapsing during later life (Table 1).…”