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Hormonal and Rare Conditions Carcinoid Syndrome Treatment
Treating carcinoid syndrome
Treating carcinoid syndrome

Treatment

Carcinoid syndrome is usually a result of advanced GEP-NETs, so curing this cancer isn’t always possible. Therefore, the main aim of treatment is often to relieve your symptoms.1,2 

This means reducing the amount of hormones and proteins the GEP-NET is making to control and ease your symptoms.3 

Treatment also aims to:3

  • Prevent carcinoid heart disease, or stop it from causing further damage
  • Make sure you are getting adequate nutrition

The treatment options for carcinoid syndrome are similar to the treatment options for GEP-NETs:3,4

Infographic of the four different treatment options. Surgery to remove all or some of the tumour, and ease some symptoms. Radiotherapy which helps to kill off tumour cells. Medications. Chemotherapy drugs used to help kill off tumour cells.

These treatment strategies can be explored further on our GEP-NETs page.

Another type of treatment that your doctor may recommend is embolisation. This is a procedure that aims to kill tumours by blocking their blood supply. For carcinoid syndrome, the hepatic artery can be blocked to cut the blood supply to cancer cells, whilst your healthy liver cells can survive from the blood supply of surrounding vessels.1,5

The treatment you get for carcinoid syndrome will include one or more of these options, in addition to any treatments you are already having. As for general treatment of GEP-NETs, the exact choice of treatments you have for carcinoid syndrome depends on:

Where the original GEP-NET is. How much the liver is affected. What symptoms you're having, how bad your symptoms are, and how quickly they appeared. Treatments you already had. Your general health.

Medications to open your airways to help with wheezing, and anti-diarrhoea medication can also be given alongside these treatments to alleviate your symptoms.2

References

  1. Mayo Clinic. Carcinoid syndrome. Available at: https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/carcinoid-syndrome/symptoms-causes/syc-20370666. Last accessed April 2025.
  2. NHS Inform. Carcinoid syndrome and carcinoid tumours. Available at: https://www.nhsinform.scot/illnesses-and-conditions/cancer/cancer-types-in-adults/carcinoid-syndrome-and-carcinoid-tumours/. Last accessed April 2025.
  3. CRUK. Carcinoid syndrome. Available at: https://www.cancerresearchuk.org/about-cancer/neuroendocrine-tumours-nets/about-carcinoid-syndrome. Last accessed April 2025.
  4. NORD. Carcinoid Syndrome. Available at: https://rarediseases.org/rare-diseases/carcinoid-syndrome/#therapies. Last accessed April 2025.
  5. Cleveland Clinic. Carcinoid Syndrome. Available at: https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/22103-carcinoid-syndrome#management-and-treatment. Last accessed April 2025.