At this time, there is no known method for preventing gastrointestinal carcinoid tumors. However, it is believed that quitting smoking may reduce the risk of carcinoid tumors of the small intestine.

Surgical removal is the standard treatment for gastrointestinal carcinoid tumors. Even when tumors cannot be completely removed, surgery to remove portions of the tumor or to bypass intestinal obstructions may help relieve a patient’s symptoms. Such surgery can add years to a patient’s life, especially since carcinoid tumors tend to progress slowly.

A local excision may be performed to remove the tumor. This procedure is most effective when the tumor is at the localized stage. In this technique, the tumor and surrounding healthy tissue are surgically removed. In some cases, more extensive portions of nearby tissue may need to be removed.

Tumors may be surgically removed in a variety of procedures, depending on the location and size of the tumor. For example, small gastrointestinal carcinoid tumors in the stomach may be removed with the use of an endoscope. Larger tumors may require more invasive surgery.

Sometimes tumors may be destroyed rather than surgically removed. This can involve the use of needles or probes to apply electric current, radio waves or substances directly into the tumor cells. For example, electrofulguration may be used to deliver an electrical current that can heat and destroy small tumors in the rectum. Cancer that has spread to the liver may be treated through the injection of concentrated alcohol or liquid nitrogen to kill or freeze tumor cells. Some imaging tests may be used to help guide the needle during the procedure.

Additional treatment methods that may be used in patients with gastrointestinal carcinoid tumors include:

• Chemotherapy. Drug treatment that targets fast-dividing cancer cells and kills them or interferes with their ability to reproduce and spread throughout the body. Carcinoid tumors are not very responsive to chemotherapy, so the treatment is usually reserved for tumors that have spread to other organs and are causing symptoms that have not responded to other medications.
  
  
• Radiation therapy. Uses a specific type of radiation to kill or shrink cancer cells. Radiation may be used for carcinoid tumors when patients cannot withstand surgery, or to treat pain of metastasized tumors.
  
  
• Biological therapy. Biological therapy drugs are medications that stimulate the body’s immune system to better recognize and attack cancer cells. Interferons may be used to shrink some carcinoid tumors that have spread.
  
  
• Hormone therapy. Used to treat certain cancers that depend on hormones to grow and spread. Medications related to the hormone somatostatin may be used to treat carcinoid syndrome.

In some cases, palliative therapy may be recommended. Various drugs may be used to alleviate symptoms associated with carcinoid syndrome. These drugs rarely shrink tumors, but some can slow or stop the cancer’s growth. Other types of treatments for gastrointestinal carcinoid tumors are being tested in clinical trials.