5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid (5-HIAA) test

A substance that is broken down (metabolized) from serotonin. A high level of 5-HIAA in a 24-hour urine test sample can be used to confirm whether a person’s symptoms, such as flushing of the skin (particularly the face) and diarrhea, are due to carcinoid syndrome. 5-HIAA also can be done by blood known as the 5-HIAA Serum.

A radioactive substance or tracer that is used in a PET scan to detect the location of NETs. Also called flurodopa or 18F-DOPA.

The destruction or removal of a body part, like a part of an organ, a growth, or some internal structure. Ablation can be done with surgery, heat, radio waves, hormones, or drugs.

A gland near the top of the kidney that creates hormones, like adrenaline and cortisol. Your body has 2 adrenal glands.

A hormone and neurotransmitter. Also called epinephrine.

Another name for side effects.

A hormone also known as corticotrophin. It is produced by the anterior pituitary gland.

Oral chemotherapy indicated for the treatment of adult patients with advanced or high grade Neuroendocrine Tumors.

A term used to describe the speed or extent to which a tumor grows and spreads.

A type of diagnostic imaging that uses X-rays enhanced with a radiographic contrast medium.

Term sometimes used for a kind of neuroendocrine tumor (NET) in the lungs. A lung NET described as an atypical carcinoid tends to be faster growing than a typical carcinoid, but is not as aggressive as a high-grade lung NET.

A noncancerous growth that does not invade nearby tissue or spread from one part of the body to another.

A substance that can be found in the blood or in the body that is associated with the presence of disease. In cancers, specific biomarkers can point to the presence of specific cancers. With names like CA 125 (which can indicate ovarian cancer) and CEA (which can mean lung, ovarian, breast, pancreatic, or digestive tract tumors), biomarkers are also called tumor markers. Some biomarkers related to carcinoid tumors are CgA and Ki-67

A procedure where a small amount of tissue is removed from the body and examined under a microscope or using other tests to find out if there is a tumor.

An imaging test that uses a very small amount of radioactive dye to help diagnose problems in the bones. It involves an injection with a radioactive substance called a radionuclide. A bone scan may also be called bone scintigraphy, a radionuclide scan, or a nuclear medicine scan.

NETs that develop in the lungs. There are two types depending on where they occur. Central bronchial NETs are located in trachea (windpipe) and around the main central area of the lungs. Peripheral bronchial NETs are in the outer areas of the lungs. Bronchial NETs are the second most common cause of carcinoid syndrome. Bronchial NETs may also be referred to as bronchial carcinoids or bronchial carcinoid tumors.

An agent that causes an increase in the opening of the airway passages in the respiratory system.

A thin, flexible fibre-optic instrument that has a light source and a viewing device or camera on the end and is used to look inside the airways.

A nonsurgical procedure that is used to look inside a person’s airways inside the lungs using a bronchoscope.

Chemotherapy treatment for advanced metastatic and high grade neuroendocrine tumors.