A slow-growing neuroendocrine tumor that usually develops in the gastrointestinal tract and produces hormone-like substances.
From 'carcino-' (cancer) plus '-oid' (resembling). Named in the early 1900s because these tumors resembled cancer under the microscope but behaved less aggressively than typical cancers.
Carcinoid tumors are sneaky—they can hide for years without obvious symptoms because they grow slowly, but they secrete serotonin and other chemicals that cause strange flushing and diarrhea called 'carcinoid syndrome.'
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