Appendiceal Carcinoid Treatment Options: Surgery & Cryoablation

Appendiceal carcinoid is the medical term for a rare form of cancer of the appendix. This is a slow-growing cancer that rarely shows symptoms until the cancer has advanced. Cancer of the appendix often spreads to the liver. There are several different treatments available for this illness.

Surgery

• Surgery is often a treatment option. Because appendiceal carcinoid goes undetected for so long, it is unlikely that the entire tumor can be removed.

Cold Freeze

• Cryoablation is used to remove appendiceal carcinoid tissues using extreme cold temperatures. This process is done in repeated cycles of freezing and thawing cancer cells until they are gone.

Radiofrequency Ablation

• With radiofrequency ablation, small probes are inserted into the appendiceal carcinoid tumor. The probes emit heat into the tumor, which eventually kills it.

Cut Off the Supply

• Hepatic artery embolization allows doctors to stop the blood supply to cancer cells that may have spread to the liver. This procedure causes the cancer cells to die.

Chemotherapy

• Chemotherapy is drug therapy that is usually administered intravenously to treat appendiceal carcinoid. This treatment tends to cause adverse side effects such as nausea, anemia, shingles and various infections.