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Oncotarget 2022 1;13:800-809. Epub 2022 Jun 1.

Department of Pathology, Antwerp University Hospital, Edegem, Belgium.

Background: Novel targets in neuroendocrine tumors (NETs) and neuroendocrine carcinomas (NECs) are needed to improve outcome. The presence of O6-Methylguanine-DNA methyltransferase (MGMT) promoter methylation in NETs and NECs may act as a predictive marker for response on treatment with temozolomide. As anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK) plays an important role in the nervous system we hypothesized that ALK rearrangement can act as a biomarker in patients with NETs and NECs. Read More

Respir Med Case Rep 2022 27;38:101679. Epub 2022 May 27.

Department of Thoracic Surgery, Hiroshima City Hospital Organization Hiroshima Citizens Hospital, Hiroshima, Japan.

Typical pulmonary carcinoid (TC) tumors are low-grade neuroendocrine tumors and usually detected as indolent solitary tumors. We herein report a case of multiple pulmonary carcinoid tumors and tumorlets localized in the right lower lobe with no underlying lung disorders suggesting diffuse idiopathic pulmonary neuroendocrine cell hyperplasia (DIPNECH). A 28-year-old man with multiple 1-to-8-mm pulmonary nodules in the peripheral pulmonary parenchyma of the right lower lobe was referred to our hospital. Read More

Oncologist 2022 03;27(2):e116-e125

The Second Department of Thoracic Oncology, Hunan Cancer Hospital/The Affiliated Cancer Hospital of Xiangya School of Medicine, Central South University, Changsha, People's Republic of China.

Background: Pulmonary neuroendocrine tumors (pNETs) include typical carcinoid (TC), atypical carcinoid (AC), large cell neuroendocrine carcinoma (LCNEC), and small cell lung carcinoma (SCLC). The optimal treatment strategy for each subtype remains elusive, partly due to the lack of comprehensive understanding of their molecular features. We aimed to explore differential genomic signatures in pNET subtypes and identify potential prognostic and therapeutic biomarkers. Read More

J Nucl Med 2022 May 19. Epub 2022 May 19.

Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging, Institut de Cancérologie Strasbourg Europe (ICANS), France.

To compare the respective value of Ga-DOTATOC and F-DOPA PET/CT for initial staging or pre-surgical work-up of patients with small intestine neuroendocrine tumors (SiNET). This is a retrospective, multicenter, non-interventional investigation involving 53 non-operated SiNET patients who underwent both Ga-DOTATOC and F-DOPA PET/CT within a 6-months interval without therapeutic intervention or change between the two PET/CT studies. Detection rate (DR %) was calculated according to per-region and per-lesion analyses. Read More

J Surg Oncol 2022 May 6. Epub 2022 May 6.

Thoracic Surgery, Università cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Rome, Italy.

Objective: To investigate risk factors for nodal upstaging in patients with lung carcinoids and to understand which type of lymphadenectomy is most appropriate.

Methods: Data regarding patients with lung carcinoids, who underwent surgical resection and lymphadenectomy in five institutions from January 1, 2005 to December 31, 2019, were collected and retrospectively analyzed. Clinical and pathological tumor characteristics were correlated to analyze lymph node upstaging. Read More

Eur J Cancer 2022 Jul 2;169:74-81. Epub 2022 May 2.

Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, Toronto, ON, Canada. Electronic address:

Background: Higher grade neuroendocrine neoplasm (NENs) continues to pose a treatment dilemma, with the optimal treatment undefined. Although immunotherapy has revolutionised the treatment of many cancers, its role in NENs remains unclear. We aimed to investigate the efficacy and safety of avelumab, a PD-L1-directed antibody, in patients with advanced unresectable/metastatic higher grade NENs. Read More

Pathologica 2022 Apr;114(2):164-169

Department of Radiological, Oncological and Pathological Sciences, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy.

Metastasis to the thyroid gland is a rare event. To date, only 11 cases of metastasis from neuroendocrine tumors (NETs) originating in the lung have been reported. We present a case of a patient in his 40s harboring two nodules in the thyroid gland that were diagnosed as well-differentiated NET (G1). Read More

Indian J Nucl Med 2022 Jan-Mar;37(1):103-104. Epub 2022 Mar 25.

Department of Radiodiagnosis, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Raipur, Chhattisgarh, India.

Pulmonary sclerosing pneumocytoma is an exceedingly rare neoplasm of the lung. These tumors are usually slow growing with a benign disease course but can easily be mistaken for carcinoid tumors or adenocarcinoma in cytology or histopathology specimens. Rare occurrences of metastases have been reported in the literature making F-labeled fluoro-2-deoxyglucose positron emission tomography and computed tomography useful for the evaluation of these tumors. Read More

BMC Endocr Disord 2022 Apr 20;22(1):105. Epub 2022 Apr 20.

Department of Hematology and Medical Oncology, Shinshu University School of Medicine, 3-1-1 Asahi, Matsumoto, Nagano, 390-8621, Japan.

Purpose: Neuroendocrine neoplasms are rare disease and could originate from throughout the body, however, there have been little epidemiological studies in Japan, especially the organ distribution. This study was to examine the epidemiological information of neuroendocrine neoplasms in the Japanese population using data from a hospital-based cancer registry.

Methods: Using data from the national database of hospital-based cancer registries, we examined the organ distribution, the stage and initial treatment of neuroendocrine neoplasms newly diagnosed and treated in designated and non-designated cancer care hospitals between 2009 and 2015. Read More

J Surg Case Rep 2022 Apr 11;2022(4):rjac094. Epub 2022 Apr 11.

General Surgery Department, King Faisal Special Hospital & Research Center, Jeddah 21499, Saudi Arabia.

Diverticulum of the appendix is uncommon cause of right iliac fossa pain and inflammation with delayed diagnosis and high risk of complications, as it mimics acute appendicitis. Here we present a case of an elderly male patient who had lung cancer post-treatment. During the follow-up, appendicle lesion was discovered and suspected to be mucinous appendix. Read More

Medicina (B Aires) 2022 ;82(2):297-299

Servicio de Cirugía Torácica, Hospital Británico de Buenos Aires, Argentina.

Lung tumorlets are rare neuroendocrine neoplasms of 0.5 cm or less in diameter that extend beyond the basement membrane. Although they are associated with bronchiectasis and fibrosis they tend to be asymptomatic and behave in a benign way, usually being diagnosed as incidental microscopic nests of neuroendocrine cells in lung tissue. Read More

Cancers (Basel) 2022 Mar 31;14(7). Epub 2022 Mar 31.

Department of Nuclear Medicine, Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Corporate Member of Freie Universität Berlin and Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Augustenburger Platz 1, 13353 Berlin, Germany.

(1) Background: retreatment with radionuclide-labeled somatostatin analogues following disease progression after initial treatment cycles is often referred to as salvage peptide receptor radionuclide therapy (salvage PRRT). Salvage PRRT is shown to have a favorable safety profile in patients with metastatic neuroendocrine tumors (NETs), but numerous questions about the efficacy and prognostic or predictive factors remain to be answered. The purpose of this study was to evaluate two parameters that have shown prognostic significance in progression-free survival (PFS) in initial PRRT treatment, namely the size of the largest lesion (LLS) and the De Ritis ratio (aspartate aminotransferase (AST)/alanine aminotransferase (ALT)), as prognostic factors in the context of salvage PRRT. Read More

Cancers (Basel) 2022 Mar 29;14(7). Epub 2022 Mar 29.

Laboratory of Clinical and Experimental Pathology, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Nice, FHU OncoAge, Université Côte d'Azur, 06000 Nice, France.

The histological distinction of lung neuroendocrine carcinoma, including small cell lung carcinoma (SCLC), large cell neuroendocrine carcinoma (LCNEC) and atypical carcinoid (AC), can be challenging in some cases, while bearing prognostic and therapeutic significance. To assist pathologists with the differentiation of histologic subtyping, we applied a deep learning classifier equipped with a convolutional neural network (CNN) to recognize lung neuroendocrine neoplasms. Slides of primary lung SCLC, LCNEC and AC were obtained from the Laboratory of Clinical and Experimental Pathology (University Hospital Nice, France). Read More

Biomed Res Int 2022 30;2022:1707914. Epub 2022 Mar 30.

Shandong First Medical University, Taian City, Shandong Province, China.

Objective: This study aims to investigate the expression of neuronal transcription factor SOX11 in small-cell lung cancer (SCLC) and compare it with the expression of CD56 (nerve cell adhesion molecule), synaptophysin (Syn), chromogranin A (CgA), and thyroid transcription factor-1 (TTF-1) to explore the application value of SOX11 in the pathological diagnosis of SCLC.

Methods: Immunohistochemical methods were used to detect the expression of SOX11, TTF-1, CD56, Syn, and CgA in 120 lung tumor tissues, and experimental results were analyzed using SPSS23.0 statistical software. Read More

J Comp Eff Res 2022 05 7;11(7):523-531. Epub 2022 Apr 7.

Department of Gastrointestinal Medical Oncology and Neuroendocrine Tumors, European Institute of Oncology, Milan, Italy.

To assess the impact of sex on the outcomes of patients with well-differentiated lung neuroendocrine neoplasms in a real-world setting. The Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results Research Plus database (2000-2018) was accessed, and patients with a diagnosis of typical or atypical carcinoid of the lung were reviewed. Trends in age-standardized rates (per 100,000) of the incidence of lung carcinoid tumors were reviewed among male and female patients as well as the overall population, and annual percent change (APC) was determined for the three groups. Read More

Thorac Cancer 2022 05 6;13(10):1537-1540. Epub 2022 Apr 6.

Department of Thoracic Surgery, The Affiliated Hospital of Qingdao University, Shandong, China.

Bronchial carcinoid tumors are low-grade malignant and lung-sparing surgery is preferred for the removal of these tumors. We describe a surgical technique of robot-assisted sleeve segmentectomy via single utility port approach with three robotic arms. This operation was performed in an aged patient with decreased pulmonary function, whose carcinoid tumor was located at the origin of the right superior segmental bronchus. Read More

Cureus 2022 Feb 16;14(2):e22276. Epub 2022 Feb 16.

Hematology/Oncology, Mayo Clinic, Jacksonville, USA.

Atypical carcinoids are a rare subset of neuroendocrine tumors that originate from cells within the bronchopulmonary tree. Compared to typical carcinoids, atypical carcinoids are associated with a worse prognosis. fusions are reported in 5% of non-small cell lung carcinoma, but are rare in atypical carcinoids with only five previously reported cases. Read More

J Surg Res 2022 07 24;275:352-360. Epub 2022 Mar 24.

Division of Thoracic Surgery, Department of Surgery, Houston Methodist Hospital, Houston, Texas; Department of Surgery and Cardiothoracic Surgery, Weill Cornell Medical College, Houston Methodist Hospital, Houston, Texas. Electronic address:

Background: The optimal extent of resection for a patient with a typical carcinoid tumor has been controversial. Studies suggest that wedge resection is an adequate oncologic operation for this tumor type.

Materials And Methods: We analyzed the National Cancer Database to determine an optimal surgical resection for patients with a typical carcinoid tumor. Read More

BMC Cancer 2022 Mar 24;22(1):321. Epub 2022 Mar 24.

Department of Pathology, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Sichuan Province, Guoxuexiang 37, Chengdu, 610041, China.

Background: Pulmonary neuroendocrine neoplasms can be divided into typical carcinoid, atypical carcinoid, large cell neuroendocrine carcinoma, and small cell (lung) carcinoma. According to the World Health Organization, these four neoplasms have different characteristics and morphological traits, mitotic counts, and necrotic status. Importantly, "a grey-zone" neoplasm with an atypical carcinoid-like morphology, where the mitotic rate exceeds the criterion of 10 mitoses per 2 mm, have still not been well classified. Read More

Neoplasma 2022 May 24;69(3):723-728. Epub 2022 Mar 24.

Thoracic Surgery and Transplantation Department, Lung Diseases Institute, Pomeranian Medical University, Szczecin, Poland.

Postpneumonectomy empyema (PPE) is life-threatening morbidity that affects up to 10% of patients and carries a 9-13% mortality risk. Treatment can take a long time, and the prognosis is uncertain. Forty years ago, improved survival was reported among patients with lung cancer and pleural empyema compared to those with lung cancer and no empyema. Read More

Biomedicines 2022 Feb 24;10(3). Epub 2022 Feb 24.

Department of Hepatology and Gastroenterology, Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, 13353 Berlin, Germany.

Secretin was originally discovered as a gastrointestinal peptide that stimulates fluid secretion from the pancreas and liver and delays gastric emptying. In disease, a secretin receptor (SCTR) was found to occur as a splice variant in gastrinoma and pancreatic adenocarcinoma. Overexpression of SCTR has been described for gastrinomas, carcinoid tumors of the lung and cholangiocarcinoma. Read More

ESMO Open 2022 04 16;7(2):100419. Epub 2022 Mar 16.

Centre of Applied Medical Research, University Clinic of Navarra, Navarra, Spain.

Background: The programmed death-ligand 1 inhibitor atezolizumab had shown clinical activity against several advanced malignancies.

Patients And Methods: This phase II, open-label basket study (NCT02458638) was conducted in 16 main cohorts of patients aged ≥18 years with stage III or IV solid tumors. In stage I, 12 patients were enrolled into each cohort. Read More

Curr Oncol Rep 2022 Jul 19;24(7):819-824. Epub 2022 Mar 19.

Department of Medicine, Division of Oncology, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, 127 S San Vicente Blvd, 7th Floor, Los Angeles, CA, USA.

Purpose Of Review: Lung neuroendocrine tumors (NETs)-typical carcinoids and atypical carcinoids-have unique molecular alterations that are distinct from neuroendocrine carcinomas of the lung and non-small cell lung cancers. Here, we review the role of molecular profiling in the prognosis and treatment of lung NETs.

Recent Findings: There have been no recently identified molecular prognostic factors for lung NETs and none that have been routinely used to guide management of patients with lung NETs. Read More

Port J Card Thorac Vasc Surg 2021 Jul 2;28(2):61-3. Epub 2021 Jul 2.

Service of Pulmonology, Instituto Português de Oncologia do Porto, Portugal.

Primary carcinoid tumours of the lung are rare tumours and when typical are associated with a benign behaviour and should be classified as low-grade neuroendocrine tumour/carcinoma. A 67-year old HIV-positive female was admitted due to a typical carcinoid tumour on the distal third of the main left bronchus, occupying two thirds of the lumen. Given she was HIV positive, had a moderately compromised lung function and in order to minimize surgical events, postoperative complications and to maximize postoperative lung function, the authors opted for a bronchoplasty using a patch. Read More

Thorac Cancer 2022 04 17;13(8):1227-1231. Epub 2022 Mar 17.

Department of General Surgery, Kawasaki Medical School, Okayama, Japan.

Pulmonary hypoplasia is diagnosed during the perinatal period and is a cause of death in newborns. However, these developmental abnormalities are diagnosed in adulthood in some cases. A 70-year-old male smoker was diagnosed with stage IIIA pulmonary adenocarcinoma in the right upper lobe with right middle lobe hypoplasia. Read More

Endocrine 2022 Jun 18;76(3):733-746. Epub 2022 Mar 18.

Department of Clinical Medicine and Surgery, University of Naples Federico II, Naples, Italy.

Purpose: Well-differentiated lung neuroendocrine tumors (Lu-NET) are classified as typical (TC) and atypical (AC) carcinoids, based on mitotic counts and necrosis. However, prognostic factors, other than tumor node metastasis (TNM) stage and the histopathological diagnosis, are still lacking. The current study is aimed to identify potential prognostic factors to better stratify lung NET, thus, improving patients' treatment strategy and follow-up. Read More

Int J Cancer 2022 06 16;150(12):2058-2071. Epub 2022 Mar 16.

Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Corporate Member of Freie Universität Berlin and Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Institute of Pathology, Berlin, Germany.

Lung carcinoid tumors, also referred to as pulmonary neuroendocrine tumors or lung carcinoids, are rare neoplasms of the lung with a more favorable prognosis than other subtypes of lung cancer. Still, some patients suffer from relapsed disease and metastatic spread. Several recent single-cell studies have provided detailed insights into the cellular heterogeneity of more common lung cancers, such as adeno- and squamous cell carcinoma. Read More

Zhonghua Bing Li Xue Za Zhi 2022 Mar;51(3):281-286

Department of Pathology, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610041, China.

J Cancer Res Clin Oncol 2022 Mar 6. Epub 2022 Mar 6.

Department of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, Affiliated Hospital of Nantong University, 20 Xi-Si Road, Nantong, 226001, Jiangsu, China.

Objective: Pulmonary neuroendocrine tumors (PNETs) consist of small-cell lung cancer (SCLC), large-cell neuroendocrine carcinoma (LCNEC), typical carcinoid (TC), and atypical carcinoid (AC). We aimed to analyze the immunophenotypic, metastatic, and prognostic risk factors for PNETs.

Materials And Methods: A total of 266 patients with PNETs were enrolled, including 219 patients with SCLC, 18 patients with LCNEC, 11 patients with TC, and 18 patients with AC. Read More

J Chest Surg 2022 Apr;55(2):101-107

Department of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery, Seoul National University Bundang Hospital, Seongnam, Korea.

Background: Spread through air spaces (STAS) has recently emerged as a prognostic factor in lung adenocarcinoma, but little is known about the association of STAS and its grade with recurrence in neuroendocrine tumors (NETs). This study investigated the prognostic effect of STAS grade in NETs after curative resection.

Methods: Seventy-seven patients were retrospectively reviewed, including 9 with typical carcinoid (TC), 6 with atypical carcinoid (AC), 26 with large cell neuroendocrine carcinoma (LCNEC), and 36 with small cell carcinoma (SCC). Read More