Blood tests
We may ask you to have blood tests, sometimes on a regular basis to monitor your disease. Some can be done at your local hospital or GP surgery but some may need to be undertaken at a major hospital as they need to arrive at the laboratory quickly. We will advise you which option you need to take.
24-hour urine collection
Urinary 5-HIAA (5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid)
- 5-HIAA is a waste product of serotonin which is excreted from the body in urine. We measure this as an indirect way of measuring how much serotonin is in the body. Serotonin can be released by NET cells, especially in those with carcinoid syndrome.
- When completing the 24-hour urine collection, there are instructions to follow to ensure an accurate measurement, such as avoiding certain foods. These instructions can vary between health boards so please check the Health Board instructions when you obtain the collection bottle.
- The 5-HIAA collection instructions for Cardiff and Vale Health Board can be found here.
- 24-hour collection is completed by passing your first urine of the day into the toilet as normal, this is your start time, then every urine passed after this until the same time the next morning is collected into the bottle.