1. Neuroendocrine tumors (NETs) pathological features in a general population of a regional third level hospital in northeast of Mexico Dr. Luis Enrique Cortés Hernández; Dr. Luis Carlos Canales; Dra Natalia Vilches; Dra. med. Oralia Barboza Quintana; Dra. Med. Raquel Garza Guajardo; Dr. med. Juan Pablo Flores Gutiérrez Servicio de Anatomía Patológica y Citopatología, Facultad de Medicina, UNIVERSIDAD AUTÓNOMA DE NUEVO LEÓN.
Neuroendocrine tumors or NETs are a group of malignancies that arise from the neuroendocrine diffuse system. NETS are often described with the term of “Carcinoid” that is commonly used to describe NETs originating in the GI tract.1 (images 1 and 2.)
The incidence of NETs has increased over the last 4 decades. The diagnosis are in change because the use of gastrointestinal endoscopy and new consensus in the classification and staging. 2
Objetive
In our study we decided to report pathological features of NETs tumors in a general population of a regional third level hospital in northeast of Mexico using WHO classification.
Method
A search was made in the records of Service of Pathology and cythopathology of the  U.A.N.L. University Hospital ”, 180 patients were enrolled retrospectively, from 1986 to 2015; we excluded patients without enough data or incomplete reports, of these we selected 106 patients we studied their clininicopathology, sex, age, place of primary tumor, size and histologic grade according to the WHO classification.(image 3)
G3 – 7%
G2- 23%
Graphic 3.
Graphic 2.
Image 2. NET in Pancreas and colon respectively from, two different patients.
Image 1. Neuroendocrine neoplasia beneath colon epithelium
Image 3. Grading clasification acording to Ki67 expression.
Results
There were 64 women and 42 men their mean age of diagnosis was 48±20 years.(Graphic 1.)
Mean age of diagnosis in Female patients was 50±20 years (range: years) and male patients mean age was 45.7±19 (rage: years).
Stomach was the most common place of primary tumor with 31 patients (30%), follow by Appendix with 25 patients (23%), colon, small bowel and pancreas.(Graphic 2.)
There was a significant difference between mean age of diagnosis of Appendix and the rest of tumors.
The maximum cases were of histologic grade 1 (70%), followed by grade 2 and grade 3.(Graphic 3)
Conclusion
The most common patient age is between the 4th and 5th decade, except those in those localized in appendix and pancreas, both presenting earlier in life. There is a larger prevalence in females. Stomach and appendix NETs were the most common presenting sites and its presence in colon, rectum and small bowel is predictive of a high grade tumor.
Graphic 1.
1- Irvin M Modlin, Kjell Oberg, et al. Gastroenteropancreatic neuroendocrine tumours. Lancet Oncol 2008; 9: 61–72
2- Lewis MA, Yao JC. pathology and genetics of gastrointestinal neuroendocrine tumours. Curr Opin Endocrinol Diabetes Obes. 2014 Feb;21(1):22-7.