Relationships among delay of diagnosis, extent of disease, and survival in patients with abdominal carcinoid tumors

Background: A correlation between delay in diagnosis of carcinoid and extent of disease and survival was investigated. Methods: In all, 115 patients with carcinoid were interviewed. Data collected included symptoms, delay of diagnosis, incorrect diagnoses given, extent of disease at diagnosis, and survival. Delay in diagnosis and extent of disease were correlated by regression analysis and the impact on death by Fisher's exact test. Results: Mean delay was 66 months. There was no correlation between delay in diagnosis and extent of disease (R = 0.119, R-2 = 0.014, P = 0.20) or death. However, patients with disease beyond lymph nodes were significantly more likely to die (P = 0.005). Conclusions: Delays of diagnosis of carcinoid are common but do not impact extent of disease or survival. Extent of disease at diagnosis does impact survival, but is not mitigated by early diagnosis, indicating that outcome is dictated by the biology of the disease. (C) 2004 Excerpta Medica, Inc. All rights reserved.