Carcinoid tumor, also known as silver-loving cell tumor, is derived from the embryonic neural crest, widely distributed in the digestive tract, and produces a variety of peptide amine hormones. It is a kind of malignant tumor with low malignancy, slow growth and relatively good prognosis. Because of its function of hormone secretion, carcinoid syndrome may appear in some cases. The tumor secretes excessive 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT)-based biologically active substances, causing manifestations such as skin flushing, diarrhea, asthma, and cardiac valvulopathy. What is carcinoid tumor? Neuroendocrine tumors are a series of tumors that originate in the endocrine organs or cells of the body. in 1907, Dr. Oberndorfer discovered a minimally invasive epithelioid tumor, which he considered to be a benign tumor similar to carcinoma, naming it a carcinoid tumor. By 1929, he found that not all carcinoid tumors were inert, some of them developed rapidly and could metastasize, and the name “carcinoid tumor” was widely used by clinicians.In 1980, the World Health Organization (WHO) first classified gastrointestinal and pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors according to histopathological features of the tumors, and updated it in 2010. Therefore, carcinoid tumors are currently named as neuroendocrine tumors. Is carcinoid tumor a cancer? Let’s start with what is the difference between cancer and tumor, and then clarify what cancer is. The terms cancer and tumor are often used interchangeably and are generally not much of a problem. There are some differences between the two terms if you want to get into a tussle. The key word for tumor is “solid”, and the attribute of cancer is “malignant”, so malignant solid tumors are cancer, blood cancers are not tumors, and benign tumors are not cancer. In mathematical terms: tumor = benign tumor + malignant tumor cancer = malignant tumor + blood cancer Carcinoid tumors are also called neuroendocrine tumors, so are neuroendocrine tumors cancer? Whether a carcinoid tumor is a cancer depends on the degree of differentiation of the tumor tissue. If it is well differentiated and its biological behavior is benign, then it cannot be called cancer; if it is malignant, then it is cancer. That is to say, not all carcinoid tumors are cancerous, and it ultimately depends on the results of the pathology report. Surgery or endoscopic treatment for rectal carcinoid tumor? With the popularization of gastroscopy and colonoscopy techniques, more and more gastrointestinal neuroendocrine tumors can be detected at an early stage. Early gastrointestinal neuroendocrine tumors are limited to gastric, duodenal, and colorectal endocrine tumors ≤25 px, stage G1 and without risk of myxoid infiltration and distant metastasis. Endoscopic resection is the optimal treatment for early gastrointestinal neuroendocrine tumors. Ultrasound endoscopy can accurately locate gastrointestinal neuroendocrine tumors and clarify the depth of tumor infiltration, resulting in a significantly higher rate of complete endoscopic tumor resection and safety. Endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD) can completely cut Therefore, endoscopic resection has become an effective treatment for early gastrointestinal neuroendocrine tumors.