Carcinoid tumours account for up to thirty-five per cent of small bowel tumours. They are, however, usually slow-growing, and the malignant potential depends on the origin of the primary. Appendiceal and rectal carcinoids are usually incidental surgical findings and rarely metastasise, while small bowel carcinoids metastasise to the liver in some fifty per cent of cases.
The clinical manifestations of carcinoid tumours are varied and are often determined by the site of the tumour.
