Is neuroendocrine tumor serious?

Question

Hello doctor,

I am really worried about my relative, who has a neuroendocrine tumor in the colon. The doctors are saying it might spread to other parts, too. Can you explain what exactly this tumor is and why it is so serious? What kind of treatments are there? Are there any new treatments that might be better? I heard something about surgeries, but I am not sure. Also, how can we find the best doctors or hospitals for this? It is really hard to figure out what to do next.

Please help.

Thank you.

Answer 1

Hello,

Welcome to icliniq.com.

I understand your concern.

The neuroendocrine tumor of the colon is a rare tumor. Your relative has to undergo scanning of the whole body to check for any spread. The common site where it can spread from the colon is the liver. In case there is no lesion elsewhere in the body except the colon, then the patient should undergo radical surgery (removal of part of the colon and nearby lymph nodes).

The prognosis of a neuroendocrine tumor depends upon the grade of the tumor; grade 3 is aggressive, while grade 1 is slow-growing with a good prognosis.

Some chemotherapy drugs, such as Cisplatin and Etoposide are effective in treating some types of endocrine tumors. The higher the grade of neuroendocrine tumor, the poorer the prognosis, while grade 1 and grade 2 with localized disease have a good prognosis and are usually curative.

Kindly follow up if you have more concerns.

Thank you.