Gastroenteropancreatic neuroendocrine neoplasms: current development, challenges, and clinical perspectives
Xianbin Zhang, Yibao Fan, Rui Jing, Mikiyas Amare Getu, Wan-Ying Chen, Wei Zhang, Hongxia Dong, Tikam Chand Dakal, Akhtar Hayat, Hua-Jun Cai, Milad Ashrafizadeh, A.M. Abd El‐Aty, Ahmet Hacımüftüoğlu, Peng Liu, Tianfeng Li, Gautam Sethi, Kwang Seok Ahn, Yavuz Nuri Ertaş, Minjiang Chen, Jiansong Ji, Li Ma, Peng Gong
Abstract
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.