Objective: To study the classification and treatment modalities of lung carcinoid tumor.
Methods: 17 cases of lung carcinoid tumor from May 1983 to May 1998 were reviewed and analysed.
Results: Lung carcinoid tumors were classified into two sub-groups: typical carcinoid tumor and non-typical carcinoid tumor. The prognosis of typical carcinoid tumor was better than that of non-typical carcinoid tumor. 3-year survival was 5/6 for typical carcinoid tumor, 4/11 for non-typical carcinoid tumor. There was no statistic significance in the treatment outcome between patients receiving operation + chemotherapy + radiotherapy and patients receiving chemotherapy + radiotherapy in non-typical carcinoid tumor.
Conclusion: Operation should be considered as the first choice for typical carcinoid tumor that has a good prognosis. Non-typical carcinoid tumor tends to be metastatic and has a poor prognosis. Chemotherapy should be considered as the first choice and radiotherapy as palliative for non-typical carcinoid tumor.