Gastroenteropancreatic neuroendocrine tumors: 10-year experience in a single center

Long-term survival with complete remission after irinotecan plus cisplatin therapy for metachronous liver metastasis from a gastric mixed neuroendocrine-non-neuroendocrine neoplasm: a case report

Gastric mixed neuroendocrine-non-neuroendocrine neoplasm, which consists of both exocrine and endocrine components, is rare and exhibits aggressive biological behavior and poor prognosis. A 64-year-old man underwent investigation for abdominal pain. An endoscopic examination revealed a 30-mm protruded lesion in the gastric antrum for which distal gastrectomy with lymph node dissection was performed. Histopathological examination showed two distinct components, an adenocarcinoma component and neuroendocrine carcinoma component, with immunohistochemical staining positive for CD56, chromogranin A, and synaptophysin. The final diagnosis was mixed neuroendocrine-non-neuroendocrine neoplasm, pT2, pN3, M0, stage IIIA. Multiple liver metastases were detected 3 months after surgery. The patient received irinotecan plus cisplatin therapy, which was effective, and the liver metastases disappeared. The patient remains alive, without any recurrence, more than 10 years after surgery. We present a rare case of gastric mixed neuroendocrine-non-neuroendocrine neoplasm and review the literature to contribute to improving our understanding of this kind of tumor.

Clinicopathologic Features of Gastroenteropancreatic Neuroendocrine Tumors: A Single-center Experience

Background:

Gastroenteropancreatic neuroendocrine tumors, a heterogeneous group of neoplasms, originates from the neuroendocrine system of the gastrointestinal tract and pancreas. There are limited number of studies investigating neuroendocrine tumors in Turkey.

Aims:

To define the clinicopathologic, demographic, and survival features of patients with gastroenteropancreatic neuroendocrine tumors.

Study Design:

A retrospective observational cohort study.

Methods:

We reviewed hospital records of patients and data was analyzed retrospectively. We investigated the clinical, pathological, survival features, and prognosis of patients with gastroenteropancreatic neuroendocrine tumors (n=128) admitted to the medical oncology department between year 2003 and 2014. Survival estimation was performed by the Kaplan-Meier method. Univariate and multivariate Cox regression models were utilized to investigate the prognostic factors for survival.

Results:

Of 128 patients with gastroenteropancreatic neuroendocrine tumors, 61 (47.7%) were female and 67 (52.3%) were male. The most common site of the tumor was stomach (36.7%), while the most common stage of tumor at diagnosis was stage 4 (40.9%). The median follow-up period was 37 months, while the 3- and 5-year overall survival rates were 78% and 69%, respectively. The factors significantly affecting overall survival rate were clinical stage, grade, presence of metastasis at diagnosis, and Ki-67 proliferation index. These factors were associated with the 3- and 5-year overall survival rate. Moreover, grade (hazard ratio: 8.34, 95% confidence interval: 2.16-32.22, p=0.01) and presence of metastasis at diagnosis (hazard ratio: 3.18, 95% confidence interval: 1.30-7.77, p=0.01) independently predicted overall survival in multivariate model following adjustment for age and gender.

Conclusion:

Higher-grade and presence of metastasis at diagnosis are negative independent prognostic indicators of survival in patients with gastroenteropancreatic neuroendocrine tumors.

Different somatostatin and CXCR4 chemokine receptor expression in gastroenteropancreatic neuroendocrine neoplasms depending on their origin

Somatostatin receptors (SST), especially SST2A, are known for their overexpression in well-differentiated gastroenteropancreatic neuroendocrine neoplasms (GEP-NEN). The chemokine receptor CXCR4, in contrast, is considered to be present mainly in highly proliferative and advanced tumors. However, comprehensive data are still lacking on potential differences in SST or CXCR4 expression pattern in GEP-NEN in dependence on the place of origin. Overall, 412 samples from 165 GEP-NEN patients, comprising both primary tumors (PT) and metastases (MTS), originating from different parts of the gastrointestinal tract or the pancreas were evaluated for SST and CXCR4 expression by means of immunohistochemistry using monoclonal antibodies. SST2A was present in 85% of PT with a high intensity of expression, followed by SST5 (23%), CXCR4 (21%), SST3 (10%), SST1 (9%), and SST4 (4%). PT displayed higher SST2A and chromogranin A (CgA) expression levels than MTS. In both PT and MTS lower SST2A and CgA expression levels were found in tumors originating from the appendix or colon, compared to tumors from other origins. Tumors derived from appendix or colon were associated with significantly worse patient outcomes. Positive correlations were noted between SST2A and CgA as well as between CXCR4 and Ki-67 expression levels. SST2A and CgA negativity of the tumors was significantly associated with poor patient outcomes. All in all, SST2A was the most prominent receptor expressed in the GEP-NEN samples investigated. However, expression levels varied considerably depending on the location of the primary tumor.

Surgical treatment and prognosis of gastric neuroendocrine neoplasms: a single-center experience

Background

Gastric neuroendocrine neoplasms (G-NENs) are uncommon, and data on their management is limited. We here investigated the clinicopathological characteristics, surgical and survival outcomes in G-NENs among Chinese. Moreover, we will discuss their prognostic value.

Methods

From existing databases of the West China Hospital, we retrospectively identified 135 consecutive patients who were surgically treated and pathologically diagnosed as G-NENs from January 2009 to August 2015.

Results

This entire cohort comprised 98 males and 37 females, with a median age of 60 years. Twenty-five patients underwent endoscopic resection, while 110 patients underwent open/laparoscopic surgery. Thirty-nine patients had neuroendocrine tumor G1 (NET G1), seven patients had neuroendocrine tumor G2 (NET G2), 69 patients had neuroendocrine carcinoma G3 (NEC G3) and 20 patients had mixed adenoneuroendocrine carcinoma (MANEC). The median survival was not achieved for both NET G1 and NET G2 versus 19 months (range 3–48) for NEC G3 and 10.5 months (range 3–45) for MANEC. The 3-year survival rates for stage I, II, III, and IV were 91.1 %, 78.6 %, 51.1 % and 11.8 %, respectively (P < 0.001). As for the prognostic analysis, both surgical margin and the newly updated World Health Organization (WHO) classification were independent predictors of overall survival (OS).

Conclusions

G-NENs are a kind of rare tumors, and patients with NET G3 and MANEC have unfavorable prognosis even surgically treated. Moreover, surgical margin and the new 2010 WHO criteria are closely associated with OS for G-NENs.

Evaluation of the concordance between the stage of the disease and Ki-67 proliferation index in gastroenteropancreatic neuroendocrine tumors

AIM

This study aimed to determine the degree of concordance between TNM staging used in the determination of the prognosis of gastroenteropancreatic neuroendocrine tumor (GEP-NET) patients and the Ki-67 proliferation index value used in the grading of these tumors and investigate the most reliable prognostic parameter among them.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

The medical files of the patients with GEP-NET who were diagnosed or followed up in Erciyes University Faculty of Medicine were retrospectively examined and demographic characteristics, survival times, grade of these tumors, histopathologically detected Ki-67 values, and histopathological characteristics were recorded and evaluated statistically.

RESULTS

The mean age (53.09±14.6 years; range, 16-85 years) of all (n=141) the patients was estimated. The patient population included 72 (51.1%) female and 69 (48.9%) male patients, with a male/female ratio of 0.95. The most frequently encountered primary sites were the stomach (33.3%), and then in decreasing oder of frequency the pancreas (27%), colon-rectum (15.6%), the small intestine (12.8%), and the appendix (11.3%). The GEP-NET of the patients was in grade 1 (G1) (n: 103; 73%), grade 2 (G2) (n: 24; 17%), and grade 3 (G3) (n: 14; 10%). The GEP-NET of the patients was stage I (n: 66; 46.8%), stage II (n: 14; 9.9%), stage III (n: 12; 8.5%), and stage IV (n: 49; 34.8%). In the statistical analysis, Ki-67 increased in parallel with the stage of the disease (P<0.001). As Ki-67 increased at a rate of 1%, survival rates of the patients decreased 1.027 times (P=0.01). Five-year survival rates of the patients were 88% in G1, 44% in G2, and 24% in G3. Patients in G2 and G3 had a 6.67 and 12.38 times lower chance of survival compared with G1 patients, respectively. Survival rates of stage IV patients were 5.6 times lower relative to stages I and II patients, respectively (P<0.001). The median 5-year survival rates of the patients were 90% in stage I, 100% in stage II, 47% in stage III, and 46% in stage IV. In univariate analysis, age of the patients, grade, stage of the tumor, and lymph node metastases were found to be parameters that affected overall survival, whereas no significant correlation was found between the sex of the patient and the primary organ from which the tumor originated and survival rates. However, in the multivariate analysis, survival rates decreased inversely with age, whereas no significant correlation was found between grade and stage of the tumor and survival rates.

CONCLUSION

In conclusion, a decrease in the average survival rate in parallel with an increase in the grade of the tumor was more prominent compared with a decrease in survival rates in accordance with an increase in the stage of the tumor. This indicates that in the prediction of prognosis in patients with GEP-NET, the Ki-67 value can be a more important evaluation factor relative to staging.

Liver Metastasis of Gastrointestinal Neuroendocrine Tumors: A Single Center Experience

BACKGROUND

Gastrointestinal neuroendocrine tumors (GI-NETs) are potentially malignant tumors, and their most common location of metastasis is the liver.

OBJECTIVES

In this report, we will describe our experience with some clinical and pathologic findings of hepatic metastasis in a group of cases of GI-NETs at the largest referral center of GI and liver diseases in south Iran.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

In this four-year study (2011 - 2014), all GI and liver NETs were extracted from the pathology files of hospitals affiliated with Shiraz University of Medical Sciences. After classification based on the world health organization guidelines, the patients were evaluated according to their location, sex, age, and proliferative index. After studying the imaging and clinical charts of liver-NET cases with an unknown primary location, a complete panel of immunohistochemical markers (TTF-1, CDX-2, CK-7, CK-2, etc.) was used to find the primary GI location. Carcinoid tumors from other sites, such as the lung, were omitted from this study.

RESULTS

The most common primary site of metastatic GI-NET to the liver in our center was the small intestine, which was also the most frequent location of GI-NET without liver metastasis. No cases of appendiceal-NET were found with liver metastasis. In 8 cases (11.6%) with liver-NETs, no primary location was identified. GI-NETs with liver metastasis had a significantly higher grade and proliferative index compared with NETs without liver metastasis.

CONCLUSIONS

Liver metastasis of neuroendocrine tumors in Iran presents in a very similar manner as that seen in western countries. In about 89% of cases with liver-NET, complete imaging, clinical, and pathological studies can help to identify the primary origin of the liver-NET, which is very important in the patient's management.

Survival analysis and prognostic factors for neuroendocrine tumors in Turkey

BACKGROUND

This study aimed to determine the demographical distribution, survival and prognostic factors for neuroendocrine tumors monitored in our clinic.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Data for 52 patients who were admitted to Cumhuriyet University Medical Faculty Training Research and Practice Hospital Oncology Center between 2006 and 2012 and were diagnosed and treated for neuroendocrine tumors were investigated.

RESULTS

Of the total, 30 (58%) were females and 22 (42%) were males. The localization of the disease was gastroenteropancreatic in 29 (56%) patients and other sites in 23 (44%). The most frequently involved organ in the gastroenteropancreatic system was the stomach (n=10, 19%) and the most frequently involved organ in other regions was the lungs (n=10, 19%). No correlation was found between immunohistochemical staining for proteins such as chromogranin A, synaptophysin, and NSE and the grade of the tumor. The patients were followed-up at a median of 24 months (1-90 months). The three-year overall survival rate was 71%: 100% in stage I, 88% in stage II, 80% in stage III, and 40% in stage IV. The three-year survival rate was 78% in tumors localized in the gastroenteropancreatic region, and 54% in tumors localized in other organs. In the univariate analysis, gender, age, performance status of the patients, grade, localization, surgical treatment, and neutrophil/ lymphocyte ratio (≤ 5 versus >5) affected the prognosis of the patients.

CONCLUSIONS

Most of the tumors were localized in the gastroenteropancreatic region, and the three-year survival rate in tumors localized in this region was better than the tumors localized in other sites. Surgical treatment was a positive independent prognostic factor, whereas Grade 3 and a neutrophil/lymphocyte ratio of >5 were negative independent prognostic factors.

Neuroendocrine carcinoma of the stomach: clinicopathological and immunohistochemical evaluation

Neuroendocrine carcinoma (NEC) of the stomach is an uncommon disease. Because of its rarity, the clinicopathological features are unclear, and there is no consensus on the optimal treatment strategy. This study included five consecutive patients with gastric NEC who underwent surgery from July 2001 to August 2011. Clinical presentation, tumor location, tumor morphology and size, pathology and immunohistochemistry results, and treatment outcome were analyzed retrospectively and discussed. The study cohort of four men and one woman ranged in age from 52 to 84 years, with a median age of 72 years. Positive rates of neuroendocrine markers were 40 % for chromogranin A, 60 % for synaptophysin, 60 % for CD56, 40 % for neuron-specific enolase, and 100 % for p53 protein. Median number of lymph node metastases per patient was 10, with severe lymphatic and venous infiltration, and high Ki-67 labeling index (60-90 %) reported for all patients. Median tumor size was 6 cm. Stage IV disease was diagnosed in three patients; the other two patients showed stage IIIA tumors. After a mean follow-up of 29.8 months, two of the five patients had died of the disease. Although rare, gastric NECs deserve particular attention because of their strong malignant potential associated with an extremely poor prognosis. Such carcinomas demand an aggressive surgical approach followed by chemotherapy and multimodality adjuvant therapy.

Neuroendocrine tumors involving the gastroenteropancreatic tract: a clinicopathological evaluation of 773 cases

OBJECTIVE

Description of some of the clinical pathological characteristics of neuroendocrine tumors of the gastroenteropancreatic tract in Brazilian patients.

INTRODUCTION

Neuroendocrine tumors arise in many organs and share common pathological features. In 2010, the World Health Organization published a new classification for neuroendocrine tumors using a three-tiered system that applies the terms neuroendocrine tumor Grade 1, neuroendocrine tumor Grade 2, and neuroendocrine carcinoma. The tumor grades are based on their mitotic rate and the Ki-67 index. In Brazil, information on neuroendocrine tumors of gastroenteropancreatic tract is scarce.

METHODS

This study investigated clinicopathological features of 773 Brazilian gastroenteropancreatic neuroendocrine tumor cases from all the geographic regions of Brazil. All of the cases emerged from the files of a single institution (a large pathology reference laboratory) between 1997 and 2009. In addition, the gastroenteropancreatic neuroendocrine tumors were graded according to the new 2010 World Health Organization classification.

RESULTS

Overall there were a higher number of neuroendocrine tumors in female over male. The lower ages were seen in patients with appendiceal tumors. The most common anatomic location involved was stomach followed by small and large intestines. All cases involving the appendix were of grade 1 and 92.1% of the neuroendocrine tumors of the esophagus were neuroendocrine carcinomas (grade 3).

CONCLUSIONS

In this series, the proportion of NET cases in the total number of surgical pathology cases at our institution over the past 12 years is increasing.