Abstract
BackgroundThe epidemiology of neuroendocrine tumors (NETs) is not well illustrated, particularly for Asian countries.MethodsThe age-standardized incidence rates and observed survival rates of NETs diagnosed in Taiwan from January 1, 1996 to December 31, 2008 were calculated using data of the Taiwan Cancer Registry (TCR) and compared to those of the Norwegian Registry of Cancer (NRC) and the US Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) program.ResultsDuring the study period, a total of 2,187 NET cases were diagnosed in Taiwan, with 62% males and a mean age of 57.9 years-old. The age-standardized incidence rate of NETs increased from 0.30 per 100,000 in 1996 to 1.51 per 100,000 in 2008. The most common primary sites were rectum (25.4%), lung and bronchus (20%) and stomach (7.4%). The 5-year observed survival was 50.4% for all NETs (43.4% for men and 61.8% for women, P<0.0001). The best 5-year observed survivals for NETs by sites were rectum (80.9%), appendix (75.7%), and breast (64.8%).ConclusionsCompared to the data of Norway and the US, the age-standardized incidence rate of NETs in Taiwan is lower and the major primary sites are different, whereas the long-term outcome is similar. More studies on the pathogenesis of NETs are warranted to devise preventive strategies and improve treatment outcomes for NETs.
Highlights
Neuroendocrine tumors (NETs) are neoplasms originating from neuroendocrine cells located throughout the body, most commonly in lung and gastrointestinal tract [1,2]
In 2000, the World Healthcare Organization (WHO) classification of neuroendocrine tumors (NETs) was updated based on histopathology and was revised again in 2010 [4]
The quality of a cancer registry is indicated by the percentage of death certificate only cases (DCO%) and the percentage of morphologically verified cases (MV%), with the perfect data quality represented by a DCO% of 0 and a MV% of 100 [7]
Summary
Neuroendocrine tumors (NETs) are neoplasms originating from neuroendocrine cells located throughout the body, most commonly in lung and gastrointestinal tract [1,2]. [2] A large-scaled epidemiological survey of gatroenteropancreatic (GEP)-NETs (n = 2,845) in Japan estimated that the annual incidence rate of GEP-NETs was 1.01 per 100,000 [5], which was lower than those in the US (2.85 per 100,000) and Norway (2.33 per 100,000). These results suggested a racial disparity in the incidence rate of NETs. there has been a paucity of data to comprehensively describe the epidemiology of NETs among Asians in Asia. The epidemiology of neuroendocrine tumors (NETs) is not well illustrated, for Asian countries
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