Carcinoid tumours in a tertiary hospital in northern Nigeria: morphological pattern and review of the literature

Carcinoid tumours are uncommon neuroendocrine neoplasms that may be found anywhere in the body but are most commonly seen in the gastro-intestinal and respiratory tracts and usually follow an indolent course. However, some tumours particularly the larger ones may metastasize to liver or regional lymph nodes. This study described the histological types of carcinoid tumors seen in a tertiary institution in Northern Nigeria. This is a retrospective study in which surgical biopsy specimens seen over a 10-year period were reviewed with respect to age, sex, site and histological type. Five cases consisting of 1 endoscopic, 1 wedge, 3 hemicolectomy specimens were studied. There was a slight female preponderance with a female to male ratio of 1.5:1. The peak age of occurrence was the 6th decade of life (mean age was 36.4 years). Two cases were located in the large colon and a case each in the stomach, lymph node, and tongue. Three cases show trabecular pattern, while 2 cases were mixed pattern, in all the cases there are neither mitosis nor necrosis. These features are in keeping with typical carcinoids. Two out of the five cases were metastases to the lymph node and the tongue. Carcinoid tumours are rare, slow-growing NETs that display a relatively indolent disease course. Carcinoid tumours are uncommon in our environment and the cases seen are of good prognostic type.