What Is The Prognosis For Neuroendocrine Tumors?

Neuroendocrine tumors are a group of clinically rare and heterogeneous diseases of the pancreas, accounting for less than one percent of all malignant disorders in the United States. It is estimated that fewer than 2,000 new cases occur in the United States each year. For most people, when this condition is diagnosed, it is a stressful situation and it is difficult to bear. Moreover, they will have more questions about the prognosis and how will they respond to the treatment.

Prognosis and survival rates are inter-related and they are invariably dependent on a multitude of aspects. Your health care provider will determine the course of treatment based on your medical history and the symptoms you encounter. The treatment options, stage of the tumor and the area where it is located primarily decides the survival rate and prognosis of a patient. A prognostic factor is a characteristic of cancer or a trait of an individual which is usually their age that the specialist will determine when deciding about the prognosis.

Certain factors were associated with a greater probability of neuroendocrine tumor progression, according to an evaluation of Phase 3 study results. When patients are diagnosed with advanced stages of this condition, the doctors recommend observing the blood count. Generally, you will have an increased count of chromogranin A in the blood biomarker. These patients will require further therapies.

Stage: This is one of the most crucial factors in predicting the prognosis of neuroendocrine tumors. It often depends on the size and location of the disease. When the patient is diagnosed with this syndrome at an early stage, there are greater chances of recovery and better results. Advanced stages have a less favorable prognosis.¹

Level Of Differentiation- Neuroendocrine neoplasm include different types of tumor such as well, moderately and poorly differentiated carcinoma. The diagnosis is based primarily on light microscopy, and immune histochemical and ultrastructural diagnosis. These aspects can offer an extensive prediction of the nature of cancer.

Grade: Grading schemes often use mitotic count to determine the level of the nuclear protein Ki-67 that is typically related to cellular proliferation. This will probably show how the cells are growing. Neuroendocrine tumors with lower ki-67 index have a favorable prognosis and better survival rate.

Levels Of CgA And Hormones- The tumor grows in cells and makes the hormone affect the levels of calcium in your body. Numerous studies have demonstrated that cytoreductive surgery can facilitate the management of hormones. Therefore it can be considered as a recommended option for conditions that showed increased levels of refractory symptoms.²

The clinical feature of pancreatic neuroendocrine tumor is based on gender, age, and its functions

Gender- Many clinical trials were conducted to assess the effect of gender on the prognosis of this condition. The reports concluded that there was not much difference between male and female patients.

Age- A person of any age can develop Neuroendocrine tumors, but most cases occur in people 60 years of age and older. The older the patient, the worse is the outcome. However, younger patients produce better results.

There is a significant difference in the prognosis of functional and nonfunctional tumors.^3,4

There is no much change in the prognosis of small intestinal neuroendocrine tumors in the last three decades. The survival rate of larger tumors ranges from fifty to seventy percent. Based on several studies it is evident that patients who were diagnosed with liver metastases have poor survival when compared to other carcinoid syndromes. When you have these symptoms, you can talk to your doctor about your prognosis. Your doctor can put all the information and arrive at a prognosis.

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Also Read:

• Best Exercises/Activities For Neuroendocrine Tumors
• Home Remedies For Neuroendocrine Tumors
• How Common Is Neuroendocrine Tumors Or Is It A Rare Disease?
• What Are the Ways To Prevent Neuroendocrine Tumors?
• What Happens To Untreated Neuroendocrine Tumors & When To Go To Doctor?