Operations were performed on 15 patients for carcinoid tumours in their small intestines. Prognosis of tumour localisation in the small intestine was confirmed to be worse, as compared to other tumour sites. Only four patients were initially free of metastases. Such unfavourable point of departure supported the need for radical surgery, with a view to alleviating the locally delimited symptoms of the primary tumour and the complaints caused by the carcinoid syndrome.