Neuroendocrine tumors (NETs) are unusual and very difficult to diagnose. They develop slowly with non-specific symptoms that can easily be confused with other diseases. Before an appropriate diagnosis is made, many patients are suspected of, for example, gastrointestinal ulcer, asthma, menopause, and even neurosis.
- Neuroendocrine neoplasms (NETs) are relatively rare and very specific neoplasms. According to statistics, there are 2,5 – 5 cases per 100 inhabitants per year
- They can take years to develop without showing any characteristic symptoms
- They also often show symptoms characteristic of other diseases, so patients cannot receive a correct diagnosis of their disease for many years
- The disease affects adults, most often in the sixth decade of life
- Tumors are located in about 70 percent. in the digestive tract and up to 30 percent. in the respiratory system
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Neuroendocrine tumors, shortly called NETs (neuroendocrine tumors), are relatively rare and very specific neoplasms – they can develop in the patient’s body for years without showing any characteristic symptoms or imitating symptoms of completely different diseases. This means that before patients suffering from neuroendocrine neoplasm receive the correct diagnosis, they seek help from the wrong specialists for many years. They treat asthma, peptic ulcer disease, inflammation of the intestines, irritable bowel syndrome, and mature women often ignore the symptoms when they suspect they are experiencing menopause. Meanwhile, the cancer is progressing.
- This is one of the most mysterious cancers. It is correctly diagnosed only in every 25th patient
Among NET patients, the majority, i.e. 60 percent. are active hormonal neoplasms. These are serotonin-secreting midguts (carcinoids) and pancreatic tumors of the insulinoma (secreting the hormone insulin) and gastrinomas (secreting the hormone gastrin). They cause the appearance of symptoms in the form of paroxysmal diarrhea, redness of the face, or attacks of hypoglycaemia and recurrent gastric and duodenal ulcer disease. These non-specific symptoms often lead to misdiagnosis (irritable bowel syndrome, reactive hypoglycemia or menopause), which significantly extends the diagnostic process, often to 5-7 years »- explained prof. dr hab. med. Marek Ruchała, Head of the Department and Clinic of Endocrinology, Metabolism and Internal Diseases at the Medical University of Poznań, President of the Polish Society of Endocrinology.
Due to the lack of characteristic symptoms or symptoms suggesting other diseases, neuroendocrine neoplasms are often diagnosed at random. In the opinion of prof. Movable, multiplicity and lack of specificity of symptoms as well as slow course of the disease result in the extension of the diagnostic process to many years.
The ambiguity in the assessment of neuroendocrine tumors makes them very difficult to diagnose, even for specialists who are outstanding in their field of medicine.
Patients with their atypical symptoms report, inter alia, to to cardiologists, pulmonologists, gastrologists and allergists. However, there are symptoms whose regular, long-term repetition may signal the presence of cancer. These include symptoms that mimic irritable bowel syndrome, asthma-like symptoms, paroxysmal reddening of the skin, difficulty breathing, muscle spasms, swelling, and unexplained anxiety.
- Cutaneous symptoms of heart disease
Neuroendocrine neoplasms are rare diseases. Statistics show 2,5-5 cases per 100 inhabitants per year – although this may be underestimated. The disease affects adults, most often in the sixth decade of life. They are located in about 000 percent. in the digestive tract and up to 70 percent. in the respiratory system. They constitute only 30 percent. tumors of the organ.
The most common is carcinoid tumor that produces serotonin and gives symptoms of carcinoid syndrome (flush, diarrhea, weakness, carcinoid heart disease) – noted Prof. Marek Ruchała.
- Abdominal pain, red face? These could be signs of cancer
What distinguishes neuroendocrine tumors from other cancers is the fact that they grow much more slowly, thus giving a much better prognosis. In the case of neuroendocrine neoplasms, even late detection of the disease does not exclude the chance for effective treatment. As emphasized by prof. Fucked, which is good news, considering that almost 60 percent of In patients, the disease is diagnosed at the stage with metastases to other organs.
Neuroendocrine neoplasms are most often highly differentiated tumors with a proliferation index of up to 50%. For this reason, they develop much slower than classic crayfish. The presence of somatostatin receptors on their surface allows the use of somatostatin analogues, which do not cause side effects found in classic systemic chemotherapy.
The main type of treatment is surgery. In the case of unresectable lesions, pharmacological treatment is a form of palliative therapy. We use the aforementioned somatostatin analogues in the first place. In the case of disease progression, we use Targeted Radioisotope Therapy (PRRT) or molecularly targeted therapies. It is also worth adding that the average survival time of these patients and the prognosis are much better than in classic poorly differentiated cancers – explained Prof. She was fucking.
The Department and Clinic of Endocrinology, Metabolism and Internal Diseases of the Medical University of Poznań has been conducting diagnostics and treatment of neuroendocrine neoplasms since 2007.
Author: Agnieszka Libudzka