Gastrointestinal carcinoid tumors are rare. They constitute approximately two-thirds of all carcinoid tumors. Numerous therapeutic modalities have been used to treat metastatic carcinoids, including hepatic artery embolization and chemoembolization, surgical resection, radio-frequency ablation, chemotherapy, and the use of Octreotide combined with interferon-alpha. We report a case of sustained symptomatic control in a patient with cecal carcinoid metastatic to the liver using a combination of gemcitabine and carboplatin (GC). We believe that this case illustrates the potential clinical value of the GC combination in the setting of metastatic gastrointestinal carcinoid tumor. Larger clinical trials will be required to fully elucidate the clinical efficacy and side effects of similar regimens.

Copyright 2007 OPUS 12 Foundation, Inc.