Read article Should I see a carcinoid tumour specialist?
This page tells you about seeing a carcinoid specialist.
Should I see a carcinoid tumour specialist?
It can be very difficult for GPs to decide who may have a carcinoid tumour and who may have something more minor that will go away on its own. With many symptoms, your GP is perfectly right to ask you to wait to see if they get better. But, if your GP thinks your symptoms could be due to a cancer or carcinoid tumour, they should refer you to a specialist and you should ideally get an appointment within 2 weeks.
About NICE guidelines
The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) has produced guidelines to help GPs in the UK decide who should be seen urgently by a specialist. There aren’t any specific guidelines for carcinoid because it is so rare and the symptoms can be so varied. So your doctor will look at your symptoms to decide which kind of specialist you need to see. For instance, if you have bowel problems, you will see a doctor specialising in diseases of the bowel. If you are diagnosed with carcinoid you will be referred to a team of doctors who have expertise in treating carcinoid tumours.
If you are still worried
If you are concerned that your GP is not taking your symptoms seriously enough, it might be helpful to print this page, and the CancerHelp UK pages about the symptoms of carcinoid and questions for your doctor about carcinoid. You can take them to your GP and ask them to talk them through with you.
You can view and print the quick guides for all the pages in the About carcinoid section.
It can be very difficult for GPs to decide who may have a carcinoid tumour and who may have something more minor that will go away on its own. With many symptoms, your GP is perfectly right to ask you to wait to see if they get better, or respond to treatment such as antibiotics.
If GPs referred everyone who came to see them to a specialist immediately, the system would get jammed and people needing urgent appointments wouldn't be able to get them. But, if your GP thinks your symptoms could be due to a cancer or carcinoid tumour, they should refer you to a specialist urgently. According to the UK National Institute for Health and clinical Excellence (NICE) guidelines for urgent referrals, you should ideally get an appointment within 2 weeks.
The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) has produced guidelines to help GPs in the UK decide who should be seen urgently by a specialist.
There aren’t any specific guidelines for carcinoid tumours because they are so rare and the symptoms can be so varied. So your doctor will look at your symptoms to decide which kind of specialist you need to see. For instance, if you have bowel problems, you will see a doctor specialising in diseases of the bowel.
Recommendations from a group of doctors published in 2005 suggest that anyone who is diagnosed with a carcinoid tumour should be cared for by a multidisciplinary team. So if you are diagnosed with carcinoid you will be referred to a team of doctors who have expertise in treating carcinoid tumours.
If you are concerned that your GP is not taking your symptoms seriously enough, it might be helpful to print this page, and the pages about the symptoms of carcinoid and questions for your doctor about carcinoid and take them with you when you see your doctor.
Ask your GP to talk your symptoms through with you. Then you may be able to decide together whether you need to see a specialist.
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