Symptomatic presentation as a predictor of recurrence in gastroenteropancreatic neuroendocrine tumors: A single institution experience over 15 years.

Abstract

228 Background: The prognostic implications on outcomes of symptomatic presentation of gastroenteropancreatic (GEP) neuroendocrine tumors (NETs) remains unclear. Methods: Patients who underwent curative-intent resection of nonfunctional, well-differentiated GEP NETs from 2000-2014 at a single institution were analyzed. Patients were classified as symptomatic if clinical symptoms were present at diagnosis. Primary end points were distant recurrence-free survival (DRFS) and overall survival (OS). Results: A total of 339pts were identified, of which 208pts (61%) were symptomatic at presentation. Symptomatic presentation was associated with younger age at presentation (55vs59yrs, p = 0.001), higher tumor grade (38vs21%, p = 0.027), LVI (58vs33%, p < 0.001), PNI (53vs30%, p = 0.002), and advanced disease (T3/T4/N1/M1 63vs44%, p = 0.002), but not tumor size (2.6vs2.5cm, p = 0.74). Symptomatic presentation was associated with decreased DRFS but not OS. When accounting for race, tumor size, positive resection margins, presence of metastatic disease, and positive lymph nodes on multivariate analysis (MVA), symptomatic presentation remained independently associated with reduced DRFS (HR 3.51, p = 0.007). On subgroup analysis of patients only with advanced disease (T3/T4/N1/M1), symptomatic presentation was still associated with decreased 3-yr DRFS (67vs79%, p = 0.012), but not OS. On MVA, symptomatic presentation persisted as an independent factor associated with decreased DRFS in patients with advanced disease (HR 2.89, p = 0.014). Conclusions: Symptomatic presentation of GEP NETs is associated with more aggressive pathologic features and worse DRFS than incidentally diagnosed NETs irrespective of tumor size. As our armamentarium of therapeutic agents for NETs expands and improves, trials assessing the value of adjuvant therapy for advanced GEP NETs are needed, and symptomatic presentation may be considered as one inclusion criterion. Following resection, symptomatic presentation should be taken into account when planning follow-up strategies, as these patients may require closer surveillance than their incidentally diagnosed counterparts.