High-grade neuroendocrine carcinoma of the colon, long-term survival in advanced disease

Gastrointestinal mixed adenoneuroendocrine carcinoma: a population level analysis of epidemiological trends

Background

The rise in incidence and mortality of gastrointestinal mixed adenoneuroendocrine carcinoma (MANEC) has not been well focused. The aim of our study was to examine epidemiological trends in incidence and incidence-based (IB) mortality of gastrointestinal MANEC at a population level.

Methods

The incidence and IB mortality of gastrointestinal MANEC as well as data on affected patients from 2000 to 2016 were obtained from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results database. Trends in incidence and IB mortality were assessed using Joinpoint regression. The Kaplan–Meier method and log-rank test were used for survival analysis. Cox proportional hazards regression was used to identify independent predictors of mortality.

Results

581 patients diagnosed with gastrointestinal MANEC were enrolled. Gastrointestinal MANEC incidence was 0.23 cases per 1,000,000 individuals in 2000 and 1.16 cases per 1,000,000 individuals in 2016, with an annual percent change (APC) of 8.0% (95% CI 5.7–10.3%, P < 0.05). IB mortality also showed a sustained increase (APC 12.9%, 95% CI 9.0–16.8%, P < 0.05). In Cox regression analysis, age at diagnosis, tumor grade and stage, lymph node metastasis, surgery, and tumor size were independently associated with mortality. Median survival was 75 months (95% CI 60–128 months). Median survival of appendiceal MANEC was significantly longer than that of cecal MANEC (115 vs. 31 months; P < 0.001).

Conclusions

We found a sustained and rapid increase both in incidence and IB mortality of gastrointestinal MANEC, manifesting that there has been no significant improvement in patient outcomes, nor progress in prevention and treatment. Additional resources should be devoted to gastrointestinal MANEC research.

Successful Treatment of a Mixed Neuroendocrine-Nonneuroendocrine Neoplasm of the Colon with Metastases to the Thyroid Gland and Liver. Case Rep Otolaryngol. 2020;2020:5927610. [PMID: 32099708 PMCID: PMC7040413 DOI: 10.1155/2020/5927610]

Patients with mixed neuroendocrine-nonneuroendocrine neoplasms (MiNENs) of the colon have poor prognosis. Herein, we report a patient with MiNEN of the colon with metastases to the liver and the thyroid gland, with long-term survival. A 45-year-old man presented with anterior neck swelling. Histopathological examination of the thyroid tumor revealed neuroendocrine carcinoma (NEC), suggesting that a primary NEC in another organ had metastasized to the thyroid gland. Computed tomography to identify a primary NEC revealed two tumors: one in the liver and one in the transverse colon. A biopsy revealed that the histopathology of the liver and colon tumors was NEC and adenocarcinoma, respectively. Thereafter, the patient underwent surgical resection of the colon tumor and was finally diagnosed as colon MiNEN with metastases to the thyroid and liver. The surgical resection of the metastatic liver tumor was performed after several courses of systemic chemotherapy, and the patient survives presently without any recurrence for approximately seven years after the diagnosis. Surgical resection of each metastatic lesion combined with systematic chemotherapy apparently improved the prognosis of MiNEN of the colon with distant metastases.

Appendiceal Mixed Adeno-Neuroendocrine Carcinoma: A Population-Based Study of the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results Registry

INTRODUCTION

Mixed adeno-neuroendocrine carcinoma (MANEC) is a rare pathological diagnosis recently defined by the World Health Organization (WHO) in 2010. Prior to the definition by the WHO, tumors with both adenocarcinoma and neuroendocrine components were given multiple pathological designations making it difficult to characterize the disease. The aim of our study is to better characterize MANEC to better understand its natural history to influence patient care and positively impact outcomes.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

The surveillance, epidemiology, and end results program database was queried for all patients aged 18 years or older between 1973 and 2012 who had the diagnosis composite carcinoid (n = 249) of the appendix. Composite carcinoid tumors refer to tumors that have both adenocarcinoma and carcinoid tumor components present, consistent with that pathological diagnosis MANEC. For comparison, the database was also queried for carcinoid tumor of the appendix (n = 950), signet ring cell carcinoma of the appendix (n = 579), and goblet cell carcinoid (GCC) tumors of the appendix (n = 944). The data were retrospectively reviewed, and clinicopathological characteristics, treatment regimens, and survival data were obtained.

RESULTS

The median age of diagnosis of MANEC tumors was 58 years of age. Eighty percent of patients were White, and 49% were female. Fifty-four percent of patients underwent hemicolectomy and 31% had partial/subtotal colectomy as their surgical management. Median overall survival for MANEC was 6.5 years (95% CI 4.5-9.7), which was statistically significantly shorter (p < 0.0001) in comparison to 13.8 years (95% CI 12.1-16.5) for GCC, 2.1 years (95% CI 1.8-2.3) for signet ring cell carcinoma, and 39.4 years (95% CI 37.1-NA) for carcinoid tumors.

DISCUSSION

MANEC is a more aggressive clinical entity than both GCC of the appendix and carcinoid tumors of the appendix. Based on these findings, patients with MANEC tumors should undergo aggressive multidisciplinary cancer management.

Mixed Adeno-neuroendocrine Carcinoma: An Aggressive Clinical Entity

BACKGROUND

Mixed adeno-neuroendocrine carcinoma (MANEC) is a rare pathologic diagnosis recently defined by the World Health Organization in 2010. Due to poor understanding of MANEC as a clinical entity, there is significant variation in the management of these patients. The purpose of our study was to characterize MANEC to develop evidence-based treatment strategies.

METHODS

The Ohio State University patient database was queried for the diagnosis of MANEC and 46 patients were identified. For comparison, the database also was queried for goblet cell carcinoid (GCC) of the appendix, signet ring cell carcinoma, and carcinoid/neuroendocrine tumor of the appendix. Charts were then retrospectively reviewed for clinicopathologic characteristics, patient treatment, and survival data.

RESULTS

The mean age of diagnosis of MANEC was 54 years. Eighty-seven percent of MANEC arose from the appendix, with 28 % of patients undergoing appendectomy and 35 % undergoing right hemicolectomy as their index operation. Immunohistochemical staining was positive for chromogranin (82 %), synaptophysin (97 %), and CD56 (67 %). Sixty-seven percent of patients presented with stage IV disease and 41 % had nodal metastases. Overall survival was 4.1 years, which was statistically significantly different (p ≤ 0.05) compared with carcinoid tumors (13.4 years), GCC (15.4 years), and signet ring carcinoma (2.2 years).

CONCLUSIONS

MANEC is a more aggressive clinical entity than both GCC of the appendix and carcinoid/neuroendocrine tumors of the appendix. Based on these findings, we recommend patients with MANEC tumors undergo aggressive multidisciplinary cancer management and close surveillance.

High-grade poorly differentiated neuroendocrine carcinomas of the gastroenteropancreatic system: from morphology to proliferation and back

Poorly differentiated neuroendocrine carcinomas (PDNECs) of the gastroenteropancreatic system (GEP) are a heterogeneous group of aggressive malignancies with a high propensity for distant metastases and an ominous prognosis. They have traditionally been divided into small and large cell subtypes on morphological grounds. However, histological diagnosis needs to be supported by immunohistochemistry to avoid possible misdiagnoses either with the more frequent poorly differentiated adenocarcinomas and squamous cell carcinomas or with lymphomas and mesenchymal neoplasms. Although it is well known that GEP PDNECs are associated with a poor prognosis, data from some published studies seem to suggest that there is a fraction of patients with PDNECs who have better survival than expected. GEP PDNECs are currently classified according to the criteria proposed in the 2010 WHO classification. They are simply called neuroendocrine carcinomas (NECs) and are defined by mitotic count >20 × 10 HPF and/or Ki-67 labeling index >20 %. However, a few recent papers have indicated that some NECs, as defined by the 2010 WHO scheme, do not show a poorly differentiated morphology as expected. This category seems to show a better prognosis and, especially, does not respond to cisplatin-based chemotherapy, which represents the goal standard therapeutic approach to high-grade PDNECs. In the present review, the main morphological, immunohistochemical, and prognostic features will be discussed as well as the opportunity to introduce a new category characterized by well to moderately differentiated morphology associated with high proliferation (mitotic count >20 × 10 HPF and/or Ki-67 index >20 %).

Gastroenteropancreatic high-grade neuroendocrine carcinoma

Gastroenteropancreatic (GEP) neuroendocrine neoplasms are classified as low-grade, intermediate-grade, and high-grade tumors based on morphologic criteria and the proliferation rate. Most studies have been conducted in patients with well differentiated (low-grade to intermediate-grade) neuroendocrine tumors. Data are substantially scarcer on poorly differentiated, high-grade neuroendocrine carcinoma (NEC), which includes the entities of small cell carcinoma and large cell NEC. A literature search of GEP-NEC was performed. Long-term survival was poor even among patients who presented with localized disease. Several studies highlighted heterogeneity within the high-grade NEC category and a need for the further identification of discreet prognostic and predictive groups. Tumors with a Ki-67 proliferation index <55% were less responsive to platinum-based chemotherapy, and patients with such tumors or with well differentiated morphology had better survival than patients who had tumors with poorly differentiated morphology or a higher Ki-67 index. Treatment options beyond platinum-based chemotherapy are emerging. A revision of the World Health Organization high-grade NEC classification seems to be necessary based on recent data. Platinum-based chemotherapy may not be the optimal treatment for patients who have GEP-NEC with a moderately high proliferation rate. Adequate diagnostic and prognostic stratifications constitute the basis for future progress.

Advanced small-cell colon carcinoma: a case report

Introduction

Small-cell colon carcinoma is a very rare disease among colon neoplasms; it is difficult to achieve long-term survival due to its aggressive tumor behavior. Here we report the long-term survival of a patient with advanced small-cell colon carcinoma achieved by a combination of surgery and continuous chemotherapy.

Case presentation

A 67-year-old Japanese man underwent abdominal computed tomography in our institution for follow up after gastrectomy, and abnormal thickness of the sigmoid colon wall was revealed. An endoscopy demonstrated a 20mm Bormann 2 lesion with central ulceration located 20cm from the anal verge. A sigmoidectomy was performed. Histologically, the tumor deeply invaded the tissue and extended beyond the serosa, and was diagnosed as small-cell carcinoma. Cisplatin plus irinotecan was administered for adjuvant chemotherapy. Nine months after surgery, a follow-up computed tomography showed an enlarged lymph node behind the inferior vena cava and a 15×8mm nodule located at the ventral side of the cecum. Under consideration of progressive disease, cisplatin plus irinotecan therapy was performed again using the same regimen. After nine cycles of cisplatin plus irinotecan therapy, a follow-up gastric endoscopy demonstrated external tumor invasion to the duodenum wall. Carboplatin plus etoposide therapy was selected as a third-line regimen. After six cycles of carboplatin plus etoposide therapy, the recurrence sites were maintained in a stable condition, and the survival time reached approximately 30 months after the initial surgery.

Conclusions

We report the long-term survival of a patient with advanced small-cell colon carcinoma. In the future, the accumulation and analysis of rare cases that obtain a better survival time will contribute to clarifying neuroendocrine carcinoma biology, and help to improve the prognosis.

18F-fluorodihydroxyphenylalanine vs other radiopharmaceuticals for imaging neuroendocrine tumours according to their type

6-Fluoro-(¹⁸F)-L-3,4-dihydroxyphenylalanine (FDOPA) is an amino acid analogue for positron emission tomography (PET) imaging which has been registered since 2006 in several European Union (EU) countries and by several pharmaceutical firms. Neuroendocrine tumour (NET) imaging is part of its registered indications. NET functional imaging is a very competitive niche, competitors of FDOPA being two well-established radiopharmaceuticals for scintigraphy, ¹²³I-metaiodobenzylguanidine (MIBG) and ¹¹¹In-pentetreotide, and even more radiopharmaceuticals for PET, including fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) and somatostatin analogues. Nevertheless, there is no universal single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) or PET tracer for NET imaging, at least for the moment. FDOPA, as the other PET tracers, is superior in diagnostic performance in a limited number of precise NET types which are currently medullary thyroid cancer, catecholamine-producing tumours with a low aggressiveness and well-differentiated carcinoid tumours of the midgut, and in cases of congenital hyperinsulinism. This article reports on diagnostic performance and impact on management of FDOPA according to the NET type, emphasising the results of comparative studies with other radiopharmaceuticals. By pooling the results of the published studies with a defined standard of truth, patient-based sensitivity to detect recurrent medullary thyroid cancer was 70 % [95 % confidence interval (CI) 62.1–77.6] for FDOPA vs 44 % (95 % CI 35–53.4) for FDG; patient-based sensitivity to detect phaeochromocytoma/paraganglioma was 94 % (95 % CI 91.4–97.1) for FDOPA vs 69 % (95 % CI 60.2–77.1) for ¹²³I-MIBG; and patient-based sensitivity to detect midgut NET was 89 % (95 % CI 80.3–95.3) for FDOPA vs 80 % (95 % CI 69.2–88.4) for somatostatin receptor scintigraphy with a larger gap in lesion-based sensitivity (97 vs 49 %). Previously unpublished FDOPA results from our team are reported in some rare NET, such as small cell prostate cancer, or in emerging indications, such as metastatic NET of unknown primary (CUP-NET) or adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) ectopic production. An evidence-based strategy in NET functional imaging is as yet affected by a low number of comparative studies. Then the suggested diagnostic trees, being a consequence of the analysis of present data, could be modified, for some indications, by a wider experience mainly involving face-to-face studies comparing FDOPA and ⁶⁸Ga-labelled peptides.