| Typical pulmonary carcinoid tumour | |
|---|---|
| Other names | Typical lung carcinoid tumour, lung carcinoid, typical lung carcinoid |
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| Micrograph of a typical pulmonary carcinoid tumour. | |
| Specialty | Oncology |
Typical pulmonary carcinoid tumour is a subtype of pulmonary carcinoid tumour. It is an uncommon low-grade malignant lung mass that is most often in the central airways of the lung.
Signs and symptoms
Lung carcinoids typically present with a cough or hemoptysis. Findings may closely mimic malignant tumours of the lung, i.e. lung cancer.
Diagnosis
The definitive diagnosis is rendered by a microscopic examination, after excision. Typical carcinoids have cells with stippled chromatin and a moderate quantity of cytoplasm. They typically have few mitoses and lack necrosis. By definition, they are greater than 4 mm in largest dimension; smaller lesions are referred to as pulmonary carcinoid tumourlets.
The differential diagnosis of typical pulmonary carcinoid tumour includes: atypical pulmonary carcinoid tumour, pulmonary carcinoid tumourlet and lung adenocarcinoma.
Very high magnification
With prominent rosettes
Treatment
Typical carcinoids are usually treated with surgical excision.