Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2021 Apr 14;23(6):65.
doi: 10.1007/s11912-021-01062-6.

Update on Histological Reporting Changes in Neuroendocrine Neoplasms

Konstantin Bräutigam  1 , Antonio Rodriguez-Calero  1 , Corina Kim-Fuchs  2 , Attila Kollár  3 , Roman Trepp  4 , Ilaria Marinoni  1 , Aurel Perren  5
Affiliations
Review

Update on Histological Reporting Changes in Neuroendocrine Neoplasms

Konstantin Bräutigam et al. Curr Oncol Rep. .

Abstract

Purpose of review: Classification and nomenclature of neuroendocrine neoplasms (NEN) have frequently changed over the last years. These changes reflect both increasing knowledge and international standardisation.

Recent findings: The most recent changes in the Gastro-Entero-Pancreatic system induced the concept of well-differentiated NET with high proliferation rate (NET G3), explaining partially the heterogeneity of G3 NEN. Even if the nomenclature in pulmonary NEN is still different, the terms 'carcinoid' and 'atypical carcinoid' are widely overlapping with NET G1 and NET G2. Molecular data shows an additional heterogeneity both in well-differentiated NET and poorly differentiated NEC. However, no studies are available demonstrating clinical usefulness yet. The heterogeneity of NEN regarding the organ of origin, differentiation and molecular subtypes make development of personalised therapy a challenge needing more international and interdisciplinary collaborations and clinical trials allowing stratification according to biological subgroups.

Keywords: Classification; NEN; NET; Neuroendocrine tumour; Pathology; Reporting.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no competing interests.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Classification of NEN, timeline since 1980. ENETS: European Neuroendocrine Tumor Society. NEC neuroendocrine carcinoma, NEN neuroendocrine neoplasm(s), NET neuroendocrine tumour, Pd EC poorly differentiated endocrine carcinoma, UICC Union Internationale Contre le Cancer, Wd EC well-differentiated endocrine carcinoma, Wd ET ub well-differentiated endocrine tumour uncertain behaviour, WHO World Health Organisation
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Mehrvarz Sarshekeh A, Advani S, Halperin DM, Conrad C, Shen C, Yao JC, et al. Regional lymph node involvement and outcomes in appendiceal neuroendocrine tumors: a SEER database analysis. Oncotarget. 2017;8(59):99541–99551. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Bray F, Ferlay J, Soerjomataram I, Siegel RL, Torre LA, Jemal A. Global cancer statistics 2018: GLOBOCAN estimates of incidence and mortality worldwide for 36 cancers in 185 countries. CA Cancer J Clin. 2018;68(6):394–424. - PubMed
    1. Oberndorfer S. Karzinoide Tumoren des Dünndarms. Frankf Z Pathol. 1907;1:426–432.
    1. Rindi G, Klimstra DS, Abedi-Ardekani B, Asa SL, Bosman FT, Brambilla E, et al. A common classification framework for neuroendocrine neoplasms: an International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) and World Health Organization (WHO) expert consensus proposal. Mod Pathol. 2018;31(12):1770–1786. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Banz Y, Berezowska S, de Leval L, Rubbia-Brandt L, Tolnay M, Moch H, et al. Advancing synoptic cancer reports beyond English: the University of Bern/PathoLink approach. Virchows Arch. 2018;473(5):655–656. - PubMed

Publication types

Substances