Carcinoid syndrome

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Serotonin uptake

• Abdominal pain, intermittent
• Flushing
• Diarrhea
• Wheezing
• Heart palpitations
• Low blood pressure

5-HIAA levels in urine are higher than normal in 75% of cases. Certain foods and medicines must be avoided for a couple of days before this test, and on the day the urine is collected. These include bananas, pineapple and its juice, red plums, avocado, walnuts, kiwi fruit, tomatoes, various cough medicines, muscle-relaxing medicines, acetaminophen (Tylenol), caffeine, fluorouracil, iodine solutions, phenacetin, MAO inhibitors (certain anti-depressant drugs), isoniazid, and phenothiazine drugs (Compazine, Thorazine).

Blood tests may show higher than normal levels of serotonin levels and chromogranin A, and lower than normal levels of tryptophan.

The OctreoScan is a scanning test used to identify most carcinoids and other neuroendocrine tumors. A CT and MRI scan may be done along with the OctreoScan to see how well treatment of the carcinoid tumor is working.

Less frequent blood tests may check levels of histamine, bradykinin, neurone-specific enolase, calcitonin, Substance-P, neurokinin-A, and pancreatic polypeptide.

An examination may show heart valve lesions or signs of niacin-deficiency disease (pellagra).

Review Date: 09/11/2006
Reviewed By: Rita Nanda, M.D., Department of Medicine, Section of Hematology/Oncology, University of Chicago Medical Center, Chicago, IL. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network.