Clinical Features of Roggo et al for a Carcinoid Tumor of the Appendix

Location: while most common in the tip they can occur in proximal or mid-appendix

Symptoms: often asymptomatic. A patient may present with acute appendicitis. Rarely a patient may present with the carcinoid syndrome.

Situations where a right hemicolectomy should be considered include:

(1) tumor > 2 cm in diameter

(2) metastasis to regional lymph nodes

(3) young patient with a tumor > 1 cm in diameter

(4) tumor at the base of the appendix

(5) direct extention into the mesoappendix

(6) vascular invasion

A tumor less than 1 cm in diameter is typically managed by simple appendectomy. Therapy of a tumor from > 1 cm and <= 2 cm is controversial.

A carcinoid tumor in an older adult may be treated more conservatively since the tumor tends to grow slowly.