Summary
A 56-year-old woman was admitted with carcinoid crisis and became comatose. Blood tryptophan at this stage was 5 μg/ml; after treatment with 3.4 g tryptophan daily her level of consciousness improved and blood tryptophan increased to 10 μg/ml. The carcinoid syndrome was not exacerbated by tryptophan. Tryptophan may have a supportive role in the management of carcinoid crisis.
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Harris, A.L., Smith, I.E. Tryptophan in the treatment of carcinoid crisis. Cancer Chemother. Pharmacol. 10, 137–139 (1983). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00446228
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00446228