Carcinoid tumors of the appendix in children. A report of 25 cases

Carcinoid tumors of the appendix in 25 children (21 girls, 4 boys) below 15 years corroborated the previously reported preponderance of females. 17 children were operated upon because of acute appendicitis, one because of oxyuriasis in the appendix and the remaining 7 because of diffuse recurrent abdominal pain. All the patients were subjected to appendectomy and one of them later also to right-sided hemicolectomy because of carcinoid in the margin of the resection of the appendix but not in the cecum. Despite deep infiltration of the wall of the appendix to the serosa in 9 children and lymph node metastases in one, no signs of a recurrence have been seen during follow-up of 5 to 17 years (mean 12 years).