AN 18-YEAR FOLLOW-UP OF PRIMARY HEPATIC CARCINOID WITH CARCINOID-SYNDROME

Primary hepatic carcinoid is extremely rare. Although one of the 18 pr eviously reported cases was accompanied by clinical features of carcin oid syndrome, no patient manifested these features as the presenting c omplaint, as was true in our case. During the 18 years this patient ha s been followed, she has been treated with most of the major therapeut ic methods, including systemic chemotherapy, hepatic artery chemoembol us injection, extended right hepatic lobectomy, and, eventually, more systemic chemotherapy and octreotide. She continues to be nearly asymp tomatic and is still working. We present the results of extensive chem ical and hormonal assays, briefly summarize the primary hepatic carcin oids reported previously, and review therapy of this disease.