Incidence and survival of neuroendocrine neoplasms in China with comparison to the United States

Prognostic Nomograms for Patients With NF-Pan-NET After Pancreatectomy: A Retrospective Analysis Based on SEER Database

AIMS

Surgical resection is the primary treatment option for patients diagnosed with nonfunctional pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors (NF-Pan-NETs). However, the postoperative prognostic evaluation for NF-Pan-NET patients remains obscure. This study aimed to construct an efficient model to predict the prognosis of NF-Pan-NET patients who have received surgical resection.

METHODS

NF-Pan-NET patients after pancreatectomy were retrieved from the SEER database for the period of 2010 to 2019. A total of 2844 patients with NF-Pan-NET from SEER database were included in our study. After careful screening, six clinicopathological variables including age, grade, AJCC T stage, AJCC N stage, AJCC M stage, and chemotherapy were selected to develop nomograms to predict overall survival (OS) and cancer-specific survival (CSS) respectively of the patients.

RESULTS

The novel models demonstrated high accuracy and discrimination in prognosticating resected NF-Pan-NET through various validation methods. Furthermore, the risk subgroups classified by the newly developed risk stratification systems based on the nomograms exhibited significant differences in both OS and CSS, surpassing the efficacy of the AJCC 8th TNM staging system. Novel nomograms and corresponding risk classification systems were developed to predict OS and CSS in patients with NF-Pan-NET after pancreatectomy.

CONCLUSION

The models demonstrated superior performance compared to traditional staging systems, providing clinicians with more accurate and personalized guidance for postoperative surveillance and treatment.

Sex Differences in the Survival of Patients with Neuroendocrine Neoplasms: A Comparative Study of Two National Databases

BACKGROUND

Neuroendocrine neoplasms (NENs) are increasing in incidence globally. Previous analysis of the UK cancer database (National Cancer Registration and Analysis Service (NCRAS)) showed a notable female survival advantage in most tumour sites. This study aims to compare NCRAS to the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results Program (SEER) to validate these results using the same statistical methods.

METHODS

A total of 14,834 and 108,399 patients with NENs were extracted from NCRAS and SEER, respectively. Sixty-months survival for both males and females for each anatomical site of NENs were calculated using restricted mean survival time (RMST) and Kaplan-Meier Survival estimates. The sixty-month RMST female survival advantage (FSA) was calculated.

RESULTS

FSA was similar in NCRAS and SEER. The highest FSA occurred in lung and stomach NENs.

CONCLUSIONS

The data from SEER confirm the findings published by NCRAS. Female survival advantage remains unexplained.

Gastroenteropancreatic neuroendocrine neoplasms: current development, challenges, and clinical perspectives

Neuroendocrine neoplasms (NENs) are highly heterogeneous and potentially malignant tumors arising from secretory cells of the neuroendocrine system. Gastroenteropancreatic neuroendocrine neoplasms (GEP-NENs) are the most common subtype of NENs. Historically, GEP-NENs have been regarded as infrequent and slow-growing malignancies; however, recent data have demonstrated that the worldwide prevalence and incidence of GEP-NENs have increased exponentially over the last three decades. In addition, an increasing number of studies have proven that GEP-NENs result in a limited life expectancy. These findings suggested that the natural biology of GEP-NENs is more aggressive than commonly assumed. Therefore, there is an urgent need for advanced researches focusing on the diagnosis and management of patients with GEP-NENs. In this review, we have summarized the limitations and recent advancements in our comprehension of the epidemiology, clinical presentations, pathology, molecular biology, diagnosis, and treatment of GEP-NETs to identify factors contributing to delays in diagnosis and timely treatment of these patients.

Epidemiological characteristics of neuroendocrine neoplasms in Beijing: a population-based retrospective study

BACKGROUND

The incidence of neuroendocrine neoplasms (NENs) is rising rapidly worldwide. However, there are few reports on these heterogeneous diseases in China. Our study aimed to explore the epidemiological characteristics of NENs in Beijing.

METHODS

We conducted a retrospective cohort study using population-based cancer surveillance data in Beijing, China. All data were extracted from the Beijing Cancer Registry with incidence dates from 1 January 1998 to 31 December 2018; the follow-up period was through 31 December 2021. Segi's world standard population was used to estimate the age-standardized rate. Survival was estimated using the Kaplan-Meier method.

RESULTS

From 1998 to 2018, the incidence of NENs in Beijing initially showed a significant increasing trend, from 1.07/100,000 to 3.53/100,000; this began to plateau after 2013. The age-specific incidence rate increased with age and peaked in the age group 70-74 years. The incidence in men was significantly higher than that in women (4.41/100,000 vs. 1.69/100,000). The most common sites of NENs were the lung (2.38/100,000) and rectum (0.14/100,000). Most NENs were diagnosed at a late stage. We found that NENs originating from the lung had worse overall survival than extrapulmonary NENs, and male patients had worse survival than female patients.

CONCLUSIONS

This study retrospectively analyzed the epidemiological characteristics of NENs in Beijing from 1998 to 2018. Our findings provide a reference regarding the epidemiological statistics of NENs in Beijing to contribute to the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of these specific tumors.

Personalized treatment of well-differentiated gastric neuroendocrine tumors based on clinicopathological classification and grading: A multicenter retrospective study

BACKGROUND

The incidence of well-differentiated gastric neuroendocrine tumors (G-NET) is increasing annually, and while they have a good prognosis and low mortality rate, their high recurrence rate makes treatment options controversial. This study aims to determine the relationship between individualized treatment plans and the recurrence of G-NET.

METHODS

We performed a multicenter, retrospective study of 94 patients with highly differentiated G-NET and treated at Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Yantai Yuhuangding Hospital, and Beijing Zhong-Neng-Jian Hospital from November 2015 to September 2023. Risk factors for recurrence of G-NETs were investigated using chi-squared test and multifactorial logistic regression analysis.

RESULTS

After a median follow-up of 49 months, the overall recurrence rate among the 94 G-NET patients was 14% (13/94). The recurrence rates of endoscopic mucosal resection (EMR), endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD), somatostatin analog (SSA) therapy, and surgery were 43% (6/14), 10% (5/49), 5% (1/22), and 11% (1/9), respectively. Post-treatment recurrence rates were significantly different ( P = 0.014) among four treatments (EMR, ESD, SSA, and surgery), and further subgroup comparisons revealed lower recurrence rates in the ESD and SSA groups than in the EMR group. From the second month onward, SSA therapy considerably reduced the gastrin levels from 1081.0 (571.5, 2472.8) pg/mL to 461.5 (255.3, 795.0) pg/mL ( Z = -3.521, P <0.001). Both chi-squared test and multifactorial logistic regression analysis suggested that among the clinicopathological parameters studied, only the pre-treatment gastrin level ( P = 0.018 and 0.005) and the type of treatment ( P = 0.014 and 0.017) were significantly associated with G-NET recurrence.

CONCLUSIONS

Individualized treatment strategies may reduce the risk of relapse after G-NET treatment. Long-term SSA therapy may be a secure and efficacious treatment option for type 1 G-NET with more than six lesions, and it substantially decreases the incidence of post-treatment recurrence.

Infiltrating characteristics and prognostic value of tertiary lymphoid structures in resected gastric neuroendocrine neoplasm patients

Objectives

Tertiary lymphoid structures (TLSs) are lymphocyte aggregates that play an anti-tumor role in most solid tumors. However, the functions of TLS in gastric neuroendocrine neoplasms (GNENs) remain unknown. This study aimed to determine the characteristics and prognostic values of TLS in resected GNEN patients.

Methods

Haematoxylin-eosin, immunohistochemistry (IHC) and multiple fluorescent IHC staining were used to assess TLS to investigate the correlation between TLSs and clinicopathological characteristics and its prognostic value.

Results

Tertiary lymphoid structures were identified in 84.3% of patients with GNEN. They were located in the stromal area or outside the tumor tissue and mainly composed of B and T cells. A high density of TLSs promoted an anti-tumor immune response in GNEN. CD15+ TANs and FOXP3+ Tregs in TLSs inhibited the formation of TLSs. High TLS density was significantly associated with prolonged recurrence-free survival (RFS) and overall survival (OS) of GNENs. Univariate and multivariate Cox regression analyses revealed that TLS density, tumor size, tumor-node-metastasis (TNM) stage and World Health Organisation (WHO) classification were independent prognostic factors for OS, whereas TLS density, tumor size and TNM stage were independent prognostic factors for RFS. Finally, OS and RFS nomograms were developed and validated, which were superior to the WHO classification and the TNM stage.

Conclusion

Tertiary lymphoid structures were mainly located in the stromal area or outside the tumor area, and high TLS density was significantly associated with the good prognosis of patients with GNEN. Incorporating TLS density into a nomogram may improve survival prediction in patients with resected GNEN.

Epidemiologic trends of and factors associated with overall survival in patients with neuroendocrine tumors over the last two decades in the USA

Background

Updated epidemiological data of neuroendocrine tumors are currently lacking. Thus, we performed epidemiological and survival analyses on a large cohort of patients with neuroendocrine tumors and developed a new nomogram to predict survival.

Methods

This population-based study examined 112,256 patients with neuroendocrine tumors between 2000 and 2018 using data from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results program.

Results

The age-adjusted incidence per 100,000 persons of neuroendocrine tumors increased from 4.90 in 2000 to 8.19 in 2018 (annual percentage change, 3.40; 95% confidence interval, 3.13-3.67), with the most significant increases in grade 1, localized stage, and appendix neuroendocrine tumors. The age-adjusted mortality rate increased 3.1-fold from 2000 to 2018 (annual percentage change, 4.14; 95% confidence interval, 3.14-5.15). The 1-, 5-, and 10-year relative survival rates for all neuroendocrine tumors were 80.5%, 68.4%, and 63.5%, respectively. Multivariate analyses showed that male sex; older age; Black, American Indian, and Alaska Native populations; earlier year of diagnosis; lung neuroendocrine tumors; higher grades; and later stage were associated with a worse prognosis and that disease stage and grade were the most important risk factors for prognosis. Furthermore, we established a nomogram to predict the 3-, 5-, and 10-year survival rates, and its discrimination ability was better than that of the TNM classification.

Conclusions

The incidence, prevalence, and mortality rate of neuroendocrine tumors continued to increase over the last two decades. Additionally, the nomogram could accurately quantify the risk of death in patients with neuroendocrine tumors and had good clinical practicability.