“Goblet Cell Carcinoid Tumors of the Appendix: An Overview,” by Paromita Roy, Department of Pathology at the University of Toronto in Canada, and Runjan Chetty, Department of Pathology at the University of Glasgow in Scotland, has been published in the June 15, 2010 issue of World Journal of Gastrointestinal Oncology. This is a fascinating review of “an enigmatic and rare tumor involving the appendix almost exclusively.” Since it was identified in 1969 there has been greater understanding of this disease but issues remain regarding its histogenesis (the formation and differentiation of tissues), nomenclature, and management, particularly amongst pathologists and surgeons. “The purpose of this review,” the authors note, “ is to highlight the origins and general features of the tumor, discuss the nomenclatural difficulties associated with the continued use of the suffix carcinoid, provide a brief overview of the pathology including immunohistochemical and molecular aspects and, finally, to dwell on management and prognostic issues.”
To produce this review the authors studied articles published in English from 1966 to 2009 via PubMed. Goblet cell carcinoids are also known as adenocarcinoid, mucinous carcinoid, crypt cell carcinoma, and mucin-producing neuroendocrine tumor, although none of these terms is accepted universally. “The most common clinical presentation is acute appendicitis, followed by abdominal pain and a mass.” Spread of this cancer occurs in 50 percent of the female patients, who present with ovarian metastases. The main forms of treatment are appendectomy and right hemicolectomy, a procedure where a portion of the large bowel is removed due to the presence of cancer.
To read the entire article, click here: http://www.wjgnet.com/1948-5204/full/v2/i6/251.htm.