Appendiceal Carcinoid Tumors-A Single-Center Case Series Analysis of 2415 Appendectomies

We aimed to report our experiences about the appendiceal carcinoid tumor (ACT) detected incidentally in patients who operated with the diagnosis of acute appendicitis (AA). A case series analyses from historical patients who had undergone elective and emergency appendectomies from January 2015 to August 2019 and registered on accrual and for whom histopathological records were well preserved have been analyzed. Those cases with histopathologically proven ACT were extracted, and demographics, clinicopathological characteristics, treatment modalities, and follow-up results were evaluated. Among the 2415 appendectomy specimens, 14 carcinoid tumors were detected (0.58%), 9 being male and 5 female patients, with a mean age of 31.5 years (21-72). The clinical presentation was AA in all cases. In twelve patients, appendectomy was sufficient, but complementary right hemicolectomy was needed in the remaining two cases. The size of the tumor was less than 1 cm in 12 (86%), and the median tumor size was 0.62 (range, 0.2-1.7). Tumor localization was an appendiceal apex in 10 (71%), midportion in 3 (21%), and base in 1 (7%). There was no need for any adjuvant therapy. During the mean follow-up time of 36.6 months (range, 24-46), all patients were disease-free and alive. An ACT is generally diagnosed incidentally with the histopathological analysis in patients undergoing surgery for suspected AA. This emphasizes the value of the histopathological analysis of every removed appendix. The long-term prognosis of incidentally found ACT is good.