Current aspects of diagnosis and treatment of patients with neuroendocrine tumors

2021 ◽  
Vol 23 (3) ◽  
pp. 83-92
Author(s):  
Maxim V. Lysanyuk ◽  
Pavel N. Romashchenko ◽  
Nicolay A. Maistrenko

The article presents modern possibilities and existing problematic aspects of the choice of therapeutic and diagnostic tactics in patients with neuroendocrine tumors of the gastrointestinal tract and pancreas are presented. The asymptomatic course of neuroendocrine tumors of the gastrointestinal tract and pancreas was established in 18.5% and 24.6% of cases, respectively. Carcinoid syndrome was detected in 12.9%. The sensitivity rates of chromogranin A and neuron-specific enolase in the diagnosis of tumors were 54% and 13%, respectively. The levels of cancer-embryonic antigen in G-1/G-2 and G-3 tumors were 5 ng/ml and 8.9 ng/ml, respectively (p 0.001). A pathognomonic sign of neuroendocrine tumors of the small intestine is a mesentery tumor conglomerate, and the sensitivity rates of computed tomography and positron emission tomography with 68Ga to detect this sign were 92.3% and 92.9%, respectively (p 0.05). The computed tomographic density of neuroendocrine pancreatic tumors G-1/G-2 in the arterial phase was 112.1 40.2 HU and that of G-3 tumors was 54.0 10.4 HU (p = 0.025). Surgical treatment was performed in 259 (79.7%) patients. Postoperative complications that developed in localized and locally distributed neuroendocrine tumors of the gastrointestinal tract and of the pancreas were found in 3.5% and 8.8%, and in 58.1% and 40% of the cases, respectively, and those of generalized tumors were noted in 20%. The tumor-specific 5-year survival rates of patients with localized neuroendocrine tumors of the gastrointestinal tract and pancreas were 92.5% and 94.4%, those with locally distributed tumors had 66.8% and 77.8%, and those with generalized tumors had 51.8% and 47.1%, respectively. In patients with generalized tumors, the 5-year survival rates after cytoreduction and removal of the primary tumor were 88.2% and 64.6%, respectively (p = 0.097), and the rate after drug therapy was 28.8% (p 0.001). The prognosis of the 5-year survival of patients is determined by the degree of malignancy and tumor localization, treatment method, and patient age. In general, neuroendocrine tumors are a heterogeneous group of neoplasms that require a multidisciplinary approach to diagnosis and choice of therapeutic strategies.

2010 ◽  
Vol 29 (4) ◽  
pp. 254-264 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anna Tzontcheva

Neuroendocrine Tumors — Laboratory DiagnosisNeuroendocrine tumors (NETs) are a heterogeneous group of neoplasms originating from endocrine cells, which are characterized by the presence of secretory granules as well as the ability to produce biogenic amines and polypeptide hormones. These tumors originate from endocrine glands such as the adrenal medulla, the pituitary, and the parathyroids, as well as endocrine islets within the thyroid or the pancreas, and dispersed endocrine cells in the respiratory and gastrointestinal tract. The clinical behavior of NETs is extremely variable; they may be functioning or not functioning, ranging from very slow-growing tumors (well-differentiated NETs), which are the majority, to highly aggressive and very malignant tumors (poorly differentiated NETs). Classically, NETs of the gastrointestinal tract are classified into 2 main groups: (1) carcinoids and (2) endocrine pancreatic tumors (EPTs). Most neuroendocrine tumors produce and secrete a multitude of peptide hormones and amines. Some of these substances cause a specific clinical syndrome: carcinoid, Zollinger-Ellison, hyperglycemic, glucagonoma and WDHA syndrome. Specific markers for these syndromes are basal and/or stimulated levels of urinary 5-HIAA, serum or plasma gastrin, insulin, glucagon and vasoactive intestinal polypeptide, respectively. Some carcinoid tumors and about one third of endocrine pancreatic tumors do not present any clinical symptoms and are called ‘nonfunctioning’ tumors. Therefore, general tumor markers such as chromogranin A, pancreatic polypeptide, serum neuron-specific enolase and subunits of glycoprotein hormones have been used for screening purposes in patients without distinct clinical hormone-related symptoms. Among these general tumor markers chromogranin A, although its precise function is not yet established, has been shown to be a very sensitive and specific serum marker for various types of neuroendocrine tumors. This is because it may also be elevated in many cases of less well-differentiated tumors of neuroendocrine origin that do not secrete known hormones. At the moment, chromogranin A is considered the best general neuroendocrine serum or plasma marker available both for diagnosis and therapeutic evaluation, and is increased in 50-100% of patients with various neuroendocrine tumors. Chromogranin A serum or plasma levels reflect tumor load, and it may be an independent marker of prognosis in patients with midgut carcinoids.


1998 ◽  
Vol 16 (7) ◽  
pp. 2534-2541 ◽  
Author(s):  
H Orlefors ◽  
A Sundin ◽  
H Ahlström ◽  
P Bjurling ◽  
M Bergström ◽  
...  

PURPOSE Carcinoid tumors, especially those of midgut origin, produce serotonin via the precursors tryptophan and 5-hydroxytryptophan (5-HTP). We have evaluated the usefulness of positron emission tomography (PET) with carbon-11-labeled 5-HTP in the diagnosis and treatment follow-up evaluation of patients with neuroendocrine tumors. PATIENTS AND METHODS PET using 11C-labeled 5-HTP was compared with computed tomography (CT) in 18 patients (14 midgut, one foregut, one hindgut carcinoid, and two endocrine pancreatic tumors [EPT]). In addition, 10 of 18 patients were monitored with PET examinations during treatment. RESULTS All 18 patients, including two with normal urinary 5-hydroxyindole acetic acid (U-5-HIAA), had increased uptake of 11C-labeled 5-HTP in tumorous tissue as compared with normal tissue. Liver metastases, as well as lymph node, pleural, and skeletal metastases, showed enhanced 5-HTP uptake and PET could detect more lesions than CT in 10 patients and equal numbers in the others. Tumor visibility was better for PET than for CT due to the high and selective uptake of 5-HTP with a high tumor-to-background ratio. Binding studies indicated an irreversible trapping of 5-HTP in the tumors. Linear regression analyses showed a clear correlation (r = .907) between changes in U-5-HIAA and changes in the transport rate constant for 5-HTP during treatment. CONCLUSION PET with 11C-labeled 5-HTP demonstrated high uptake in neuroendocrine gastrointestinal tumors and thereby allowed improved visualization compared with CT. The in vivo data on regional tumor metabolism, as expressed in 11C-5-HTP uptake and transport rate, provided additional information over conventional radiologic techniques. The close correlation between the changes in 11C-5-HTP transport rate and U-HIAA during medical treatment indicates the potential of 11C-5-HTP-PET as a means to monitor therapy.


2019 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
pp. 58-65
Author(s):  
Takashi Tashiro ◽  
Fumihiro Uwamori ◽  
Yukiomi Nakade ◽  
Tadahisa Inoue ◽  
Yuji Kobayashi ◽  
...  

Gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GISTs) are known to originate specifically from the intestinal cells of Cajal located in the gastrointestinal mesenchyme. GISTs developing outside of the digestive tract have barely been reported. We encountered a first case of large primary GISTs in the liver with cystic changes. A 63-year-old man with a past history of brain infarction visited our hospital. The computed tomography (CT) revealed a 6-cm and a 10-cm mass in the right and the caudal lobe of the liver, respectively. These tumors have marginal enhancement in the arterial phase; however, they presented as hypodense in the internal tumor sites. Both liver tumors had cystic changes. Gastrointestinal examinations using endoscopy revealed no other gastrointestinal tumors, and [18F]-fluoro-2-deoxy-D-glucose positron emission tomography/CT revealed multiple bone metastases in addition to the liver tumors. The liver tumor specimens were composed of spindle cells, and the immunohistochemical staining for c-Kit and for DOG1, as discovered on GIST, was positive. The patient was diagnosed with primary hepatic GIST with cystic changes.


2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (15) ◽  
pp. 3321
Author(s):  
Young-Gun Shin ◽  
Won-Tak Cho ◽  
Ho-Kyung Lim ◽  
Su-Hyun Hwang ◽  
Ji-Hyeon Bae ◽  
...  

This prospective study was undertaken to evaluate the clinical usefulness of a newly developed one-piece, screw-free, and micro-locking implant system, which was designed to overcome the shortcomings of the existing implant systems. Thirty-eight patients were recruited and randomly and equally assigned to an experimental group (micro-locking one-piece fixture, MLF; n = 19) or a control group (micro-locking abutment, MLA). Cumulative implant survival rates, marginal bone resorptions, probing depths, plaque indices, bleeding indices, and complications were obtained by using clinical and radiographic findings at 6 months and 12 months after prosthesis placement. Complications that occurred multiple times for single implants were counted. During the 12 month observation period, survival rates were 100% in both groups. No significant intergroup differences were observed for marginal bone resorption, probe depth, or bleeding index. However, mean plaque index was significantly lower in the MLF group at 12 months (p < 0.05). During the 12-month observation period, food impaction (26.3%) was the maincomplication in the MLF group and screw loosening (5.3%), prosthesis detachment (5.3%), and food impaction (5.3%) were observed in the MLA group. The results of this study suggest that the one-piece micro-locking implant system offers a predictable treatment method.


2020 ◽  
Vol 2 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Manon Carrière ◽  
Helena Cassol ◽  
Charlène Aubinet ◽  
Rajanikant Panda ◽  
Aurore Thibaut ◽  
...  

Abstract Auditory localization (i.e. turning the head and/or the eyes towards an auditory stimulus) is often part of the clinical evaluation of patients recovering from coma. The objective of this study is to determine whether auditory localization could be considered as a new sign of minimally conscious state, using a multimodal approach. The presence of auditory localization and the clinical outcome at 2 years of follow-up were evaluated in 186 patients with severe brain injury, including 64 with unresponsive wakefulness syndrome, 28 in minimally conscious state minus, 71 in minimally conscious state plus and 23 who emerged from the minimally conscious state. Brain metabolism, functional connectivity and graph theory measures were investigated by means of 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography, functional MRI and high-density electroencephalography in two subgroups of unresponsive patients, with and without auditory localization. These two subgroups were also compared to a subgroup of patients in minimally conscious state minus. Auditory localization was observed in 13% of unresponsive patients, 46% of patients in minimally conscious state minus, 62% of patients in minimally conscious state plus and 78% of patients who emerged from the minimally conscious state. The probability to observe an auditory localization increased along with the level of consciousness, and the presence of auditory localization could predict the level of consciousness. Patients with auditory localization had higher survival rates (at 2-year follow-up) than those without localization. Differences in brain function were found between unresponsive patients with and without auditory localization. Higher connectivity in unresponsive patients with auditory localization was measured between the fronto-parietal network and secondary visual areas, and in the alpha band electroencephalography network. Moreover, patients in minimally conscious state minus significantly differed from unresponsive patients without auditory localization in terms of brain metabolism and alpha network centrality, whereas no difference was found with unresponsive patients who presented auditory localization. Our multimodal findings suggest differences in brain function between unresponsive patients with and without auditory localization, which support our hypothesis that auditory localization should be considered as a new sign of minimally conscious state. Unresponsive patients showing auditory localization should therefore no longer be considered unresponsive but minimally conscious. This would have crucial consequences on these patients’ lives as it would directly impact the therapeutic orientation or end-of-life decisions usually taken based on the diagnosis.


2012 ◽  
Vol 138 (suppl 1) ◽  
pp. A239-A239
Author(s):  
Oleksandr Yergiyev ◽  
Jan F. Silverman ◽  
Yulin Liu

2010 ◽  
Vol 88 (4) ◽  
pp. 423-429 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maja Cigrovski Berković ◽  
Mladen Jokić ◽  
Jasminka Marout ◽  
Senka Radošević ◽  
Vanja Zjačić-Rotkvić ◽  
...  

2001 ◽  
Vol 125 (11) ◽  
pp. 1494-1496
Author(s):  
Ravindra Veeramachaneni ◽  
Janis Gulick ◽  
Ari O. Halldorsson ◽  
Thanh T. Van ◽  
Ping L. Zhang ◽  
...  

Abstract This report describes a benign myoepithelioma of the lung that occurred in a 60-year-old woman. The patient had experienced hoarseness for 6 weeks, and a computed tomographic scan showed a nodule of approximately 2 cm in diameter at the peripheral portion of her right upper lung. Positron emission tomography showed no uptake of F-18 fluorodeoxyglucose in the nodule. Wedge biopsy of the lesion showed benign spindle cells arranged in a whorled pattern. The cells were positive for both cytokeratin and smooth muscle actin, which corresponded to the presence of tonofilaments and myofilaments that were identified ultrastructurally. The features of the present case of benign myoepithelioma that differ from features of previously reported benign and malignant cases of myoepithelioma in the lung are discussed in the report.


2018 ◽  
Vol 36 (20) ◽  
pp. 2024-2034 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ulrich Dührsen ◽  
Stefan Müller ◽  
Bernd Hertenstein ◽  
Henrike Thomssen ◽  
Jörg Kotzerke ◽  
...  

Purpose Interim positron emission tomography (PET) using the tracer, [18F]fluorodeoxyglucose, may predict outcomes in patients with aggressive non-Hodgkin lymphomas. We assessed whether PET can guide therapy in patients who are treated with cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, vincristine, and prednisone (CHOP). Patients and Methods Newly diagnosed patients received two cycles of CHOP—plus rituximab (R-CHOP) in CD20-positive lymphomas—followed by a PET scan that was evaluated using the ΔSUVmax method. PET-positive patients were randomly assigned to receive six additional cycles of R-CHOP or six blocks of an intensive Burkitt’s lymphoma protocol. PET-negative patients with CD20-positive lymphomas were randomly assigned or allocated to receive four additional cycles of R-CHOP or the same treatment with two additional doses rituximab. The primary end point was event-free survival time as assessed by log-rank test. Results Interim PET was positive in 108 (12.5%) and negative in 754 (87.5%) of 862 patients treated, with statistically significant differences in event-free survival and overall survival. Among PET-positive patients, 52 were randomly assigned to R-CHOP and 56 to the Burkitt protocol, with 2-year event-free survival rates of 42.0% (95% CI, 28.2% to 55.2%) and 31.6% (95% CI, 19.3% to 44.6%), respectively (hazard ratio, 1.501 [95% CI, 0.896 to 2.514]; P = .1229). The Burkitt protocol produced significantly more toxicity. Of 754 PET-negative patients, 255 underwent random assignment (129 to R-CHOP and 126 to R-CHOP with additional rituximab). Event-free survival rates were 76.4% (95% CI, 68.0% to 82.8%) and 73.5% (95% CI, 64.8% to 80.4%), respectively (hazard ratio, 1.048 [95% CI, 0.684 to 1.606]; P = .8305). Outcome prediction by PET was independent of the International Prognostic Index. Results in diffuse large B-cell lymphoma were similar to those in the total group. Conclusion Interim PET predicted survival in patients with aggressive lymphomas treated with R-CHOP. PET-based treatment intensification did not improve outcome.


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