PROGNOSTIC VARIABLES IN PATIENTS WITH GASTROINTESTINAL CARCINOID-TUMORS

Prognostic variables in patients with gastrointestinal carcinoid tumou r were studied with a view to identifying those most likely to benefit from aggressive therapy. A total of 188 patients were studied; the me dian follow-up of those surviving was 72 months. On univariate analysi s variables of prognostic significance were sex (P < 0.01), site of th e primary tumour (P < 0.01), depth of invasion (P < 0.001), tumour siz e (P < 0.005), presence of lymph node (P < 0.001) or liver (P < 0.001) metastases, mode of discovery (P < 0.001) and operative intent (P < 0 .001). On multi-variate analysis the variables independently predictiv e of death from disease were sex (women have a better prognosis) and p resence of metastases at the time of diagnosis.