A carcinoid tumour is a rare type of tumour that usually grows really slowly. It is possible to live with these tumours for many years without knowing that you have them. These tumours are most often diagnosed in people between 55-65 years old. Fewer than 10% of people with carcinoid tumours have or develop symptoms. Carcinoid tumours can grow anywhere in your body where hormone-producing cells are present. Experts don’t know what causes these tumours. If you have a rare disease that runs in families called multiple endocrine neoplasia type 1 (MEN1) or if you smoke, you have a higher risk of developing a carcinoid tumour1.
The term carcinoid tumours is moving out of use. Neuroendocrine tumours (NETs) used to be referred to as carcinoid tumours because of their slow-paced growth and normal-appearing cells. The term “carcinoid” means “cancer-like” but this is misleading since NETs are true cancers. The term ‘carcinoid’ is also frequently confused with carcinoid syndrome, which isn’t always present in every case of NETs. For these reasons, “carcinoid” is no longer in use, except in the case of particular types of lung NETs, where the term remains due to historical reasons. To visit our page on neuroendocrine cancers, click HERE.
Source: Canadian Cancer Society