What follow-up care will I need for a gastrointestinal carcinoid tumor?

After surgery or other treatment for a gastrointestinal carcinoid tumor has been completed, you will still need follow-up visits to the doctor to help you with any side effects and to make sure the cancer hasn't come back. Usually, your doctor will want to see you three months later for a physical exam and blood and imaging tests, then twice a year for three years, and then once a year. You may need less follow-up if you had a small gastrointestinal carcinoid tumor in your appendix, as these tumors are not likely to regrow.

If the gastrointestinal carcinoid tumor is advanced, surgery may not totally remove the cancer. In this case, you may need regular drug treatments after surgery to control remaining symptoms such as diarrhea and flushing. You may get a shot of these drugs once a month.