Treatment of Carcinoid

Treatment of carcinoid tumors in Israel is conducted by the specialists of the Oncology Department at “Herzliya Medical Center” Private hospital “Herzliya Medical Center” is a leading institution specializing in the treatment of cancer in Israel. Doctors at HMC Medical Center have extensive experience in treating all types of cancer, including rare types of cancer.

Carcinoid

Carcinoid (carcinoid tumor) is a malignant tumor belonging to the group of neuroendocrine tumors, primarily affecting the organs of the gastrointestinal tract and lungs. Despite the relatively slow growth, carcinoid tumors tend to result in metastatic dissemination. This type of cancer is characterized by high hormonal activity, affecting the clinical symptoms of the disease. Scientists continue to study the causes of carcinoid. Today we know that the basis of the disease is genetic mutations that can be inherited. These chromosomal changes cause a family history of carcinoid tumors. The disease is more common in middle age and can be triggered by exposure to carcinogens.

Symptoms of carcinoid tumors

Clinical features of carcinoid tumors are caused by several factors:

• The hormonal activity of carcinoid tumors (carcinoid syndrome) – is often caused by the early signs of the disease, manifested long before the possibility of determining the primary focus. Hormonal changes can cause changes in the type of secondary Cushing’s syndrome – flushing of the upper body, hot flashes, weight gain, moon-shaped face, acne or stretch marks. Some types of carcinoid tumors produce inflammatory mediators such as histamine and serotonin, which cause bronchospasms, tissue swelling, and diarrhea.
• Despite the fact that carcinoid refers to a slowly progressive form of cancer, the primary tumor could be sizeable, destroying and squeezing the surrounding anatomical structures, causing characteristic symptoms. For example, tumors located in the lungs cause progressive dyspnea and pain in the chest. Carcinoid tumors of the intestine, in addition to symptoms of obstruction, are the cause of abdominal pain, stomach bleeding, nausea, and vomiting.
• Metastatic spread of the tumor. The clinical signs of metastases depend on the affected organ and develop against local and systemic hormonal symptoms.

Diagnosis of carcinoid tumors in Israel

At “Herzliya Medical Center” all the modern methods of diagnosis of carcinoid in Israel are carried out, among others:

• Methods for diagnostic imaging using a computer magnetic resonance and positron emission tomography, and ultrasonic methods of research. Modern techniques are able to identify the smallest structural and metabolic changes in the tissues, establishing suspicion of malignancy
• Endoscopic diagnosis of hollow organs and cavities of the body in order to determine the primary or metastatic tumor foci. Fiber-optic devices assisting to investigate in detail the internal organs, identifying suspicious cancer tissue changes
• Carcinoid tissue biopsy for final histological diagnosis. In the vast majority of clinics in Israel, tissue samples can be obtained using endoscopic and minimally invasive technologies, without resorting to open surgery
• Laboratory studies for the determination of endocrine hormonal dysfunction due to the impact of carcinoid tumors

Patients at “Herzliya Medical Center” undergo all the necessary diagnostic procedures and are setting an appointment with oncologist specialists, endocrinologists and surgeons within the same hospital, which can significantly reduce the time of the survey and the final diagnosis.

Methods of treatment of carcinoid tumors in Israel

Oncology treatment in Israel is based on the modern conservative and invasive therapeutic methods and have been successfully applied by a highly professional team of “Herzliya Medical Center.” Profiling techniques of treatment of carcinoid tumors in Israel are:

• Surgical removal of the primary lesion. Radical surgery allows you to completely get rid of cancer, eliminating the possibility of the spread of the disease. In advanced and metastatic stages of tumor counts, cytoreductive surgery is performed, which reduces the weight of the tumor.
• Cytoreduction with carcinoid tumors is essential, both to improve the effectiveness of complementary therapies and to reduce the production of hormones that cause severe symptoms.
• Chemotherapy and radiotherapy are used in the presence of the sensitivity of tumor cells to these methods of conservative treatment
• The use of drugs to block the hormonal effect of carcinoid – Octreotide (Sandostatin) and lanreotide (Somatuline Depot). These drugs are effective in the symptomatic treatment of tumors at all stages of the disease
• Immunotherapy with carcinoid tumors in Israel is based on the activation of the defense system. Drug Interferon alfa (Intron A) is a natural factor contributing to the suppression of growth and spread of carcinoid
• Minimally invasive treatments of carcinoid tumors are used for lesions of parenchymal organs, particularly in the liver. High-frequency ablation (moxibustion), cryotherapy (freezing), and hepatic artery embolization can destroy the tumor, stopping the progression of the disease

The selection of methods of treatment depends on the location of the tumor, histologic type, sensitivity to chemotherapy and hormonal therapy, as well as the patient’s general condition, age, and comorbidities.

The high professionalism of “Herzliya Medical Center”, its modern equipment, the use of innovative diagnostic and therapeutic modalities, as well as an unmatched level of service provided by the hospital’s leading oncology treatment center in Israel sets high standards of quality, individual approach and a humane attitude of the staff which guarantee effective assistance at all stages of the disease.