Clinicopathologic analysis of eight cases of pancreatic carcinoid tumors

Carcinoids of the pancreas are exceedingly rare tumors that originate from the enterochromaffin cells of the gastroenteropancreatic neuroendocrine system. According to a recent report, pancreatic carcinoids are found in only 0.58% （79/13 715 cases） of the entire carcinoid group. To date, very limited information regarding the detection and diagnosis of this entity has been reported in the available literature. Although pancreatic carcinoid tumors grow slowly and show an indolent clinical behavior, they are potentially malignant. Due to the late onset of clinical symptoms and delayed diagnosis of the tumor, there was a high incidence of distant metastases that hampered long-term survival for many patients, leading to an unfavorable overall prognosis.