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Medical Author:

George Schiffman, MD, FCCP

George Schiffman, MD, FCCP

Dr. Schiffman received his B.S. degree with High Honors in biology from Hobart College in 1976. He then moved to Chicago where he studied biochemistry at the University of Illinois, Chicago Circle. He attended Rush Medical College where he received his M.D. degree in 1982 and was elected to the Alpha Omega Alpha Medical Honor Society. He completed his Internal Medicine internship and residency at the University of California, Irvine.

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Medical Editor:

Melissa Conrad Stöppler, MD, Chief Medical Editor

Melissa Conrad Stöppler, MD, Chief Medical Editor

Melissa Conrad Stöppler, MD, is a U.S. board-certified Anatomic Pathologist with subspecialty training in the fields of Experimental and Molecular Pathology. Dr. Stöppler's educational background includes a BA with Highest Distinction from the University of Virginia and an MD from the University of North Carolina. She completed residency training in Anatomic Pathology at Georgetown University followed by subspecialty fellowship training in molecular diagnostics and experimental pathology.

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The outlook of carcinoid lung tumors depends on the size of the tumor, the type of tumor (typical or atypical), and whether the tumor has spread to the lymph nodes at the time of diagnosis.

Because carcinoid lung tumors grow and spread slowly, they often are discovered at an early stage. The outlook for people with early-stage typical carcinoid lung tumors is usually very good. Atypical carcinoid lung tumor is more likely to have spread to nearby tissues or lymph nodes at the time of diagnosis.

Survival rates are lower for people with atypical carcinoid tumors and carcinoid tumors that have spread to other parts of the body.

Carcinoid lung tumors generally have a better outlook than other forms of lung cancer. Persons with carcinoid lung tumors have an overall 5-year survival rate of 78%-95% and a 10-year survival rate of 77%-90%.

Persons with typical carcinoid tumors have been found to have a much better outlook than those with the atypical variety. Atypical carcinoid tumors have been associated with a 5-year survival rate of 40%-60% and a 10-year survival rate of 31%-60%.

Regardless of the type of carcinoid lung tumor, the presence of lymph node metastases at the time of resection has a significant effect on outlook.

The presence of carcinoid syndrome in the absence of spread to the lymph node or other tissues does not seem to affect the outlook adversely.

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