Histopathological Landscape of Precursor Lesions of Gastro-Entero-Pancreatic Neuroendocrine Neoplasms

Abstract

Background: Despite the important advances in research on neuroendocrine neoplasms of the gastro-entero-pancreatic tract, their precursor lesions are much less well known.

Summary: This review analyzes the preneoplastic neuroendocrine lesions of the gastro-entero-pancreatic tract, by adopting a coherent anatomical benchmark. In particular, the settings in which neuroendocrine precursor lesions represent well-recognized pathophysiological and morphological entities (with eventual molecular correlates) have been distinguished from the ones in which the nature of preneoplastic changes is still obscure.

Key messages: The aim of the paper was to summarize what is known about precursor lesions of gastro-entero-pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors, with the goal of providing a useful tool for future research aimed at obtaining a fuller understanding of the underlying biology and early development of these diseases.

Keywords: Dysplasia; Gastro-entero-pancreatic tract; Hyperplasia; Neuroendocrine neoplasm; Preneoplastic lesions.