title: [Malignancy: treatment and prognosis of gastrointestinal and pancreatic endocrine neoplasia: retrospective study of a series of 16 cases].
abstract: The aim of this study was to review our experience with endocrine tumours of the gastrointestinal tract and pancreas (ETGIP). Between February 1991 and March 2000, sixteen patients with ETGIP were operated on at our institution. Of these patients we reviewed preoperative symptoms, diagnostic techniques (ultrasound, CT, MRI, radiolabelled octreotide scintigraphy, angiography, immunohistochemical study), treatment (surgical operation, neoadjuvant and adjuvant chemotherapy, and radiometabolic therapy) and survival. Nine patients (56%) had a carcinoid tumour, three (19%) an unspecified endocrine tumour, and four (25%) an endocrine tumour associated with a non-endocrine neoplasm. Only five patients (31%) had a preoperative diagnosis of endocrine tumour. Eight patients (50%) had metastatic disease at the time of the operation. All patients without preoperative metastasis (eight patients, 50%) are still alive without recurrent disease, with a mean postoperative survival of 36 months (12-60 months). Of eight patients with metastatic disease, six (75%) died after a mean of 20.5 months (3-60 months) and two (25%) are still alive with the disease after 3 and 6 months, respectively. These data show that presence of metastasis strongly influence survival. Furthermore, survival of patients with metastatic disease seems to be longer as compared to other gastrointestinal tract malignancies. ETGIP are more common and aggressive than previously believed and, therefore, early diagnosis is crucial for cure. Nowadays, however, new diagnostic tools such as radiolabelled octreotide scintigraphy are available for diagnosis and postoperative follow-up. The optimal treatment for ETGIP is a multimodal approach with surgical operation, chemoradiation, radiometabolic, and genetic therapies.
authors.affiliation: Dipartimenti di Scienze Chirurgiche, di Medicina Sperimentale Diagnostica, Anatomia e Istologia Patologica, di Scienze Biomediche e Terapie Avanzate ed Azienda Ospedaliera Universitaria di Ferrara.
authors.forename: G C
authors.initials: GC
authors.lastname: Pansini
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Lanzara
authors.forename: C V
authors.initials: CV
authors.lastname: Feo
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Zamboni
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Liboni
authors.forename: M R
authors.initials: MR
authors.lastname: Ambrosio
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Marzola
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Feggi
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D004701:Endocrine Gland Neoplasms / Q000628:therapy*; D005260:Female; D005770:Gastrointestinal Neoplasms / Q000628:therapy*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010190:Pancreatic Neoplasms / Q000628:therapy*; D011379:Prognosis; D012189:Retrospective Studies