Preliminary results of a Japanese nationwide survey of neuroendocrine gastrointestinal tumors.
BACKGROUND
We conducted a nationwide survey to estimate the incidence of neuroendocrine gastrointestinal tumors (NETs) newly diagnosed in Japan from 2002 through 2004.


METHODS
Data on 1541 patients, 514 pancreatic endocrine tumors (PETs) and 1027 gastrointestinal carcinoids (GICs), were collected and analyzed.


RESULTS
Nonfunctioning tumors (NF-PET) constituted 47.7% of PETs. Next in frequency were insulinoma (31.7%) and gastrinoma (8.6%). Malignancy was frequent in NF-PETs (46.1%) and gastrinomas (45.5%), but only 7.4% of insulinomas were malignant. The incidence of multiple endocrine neoplasia type-1 associated with PETs was 7.4%. The incidence of GICs was 28.8%, 5.2%, and 66.0% in foregut, midgut, and hindgut, respectively. Carcinoid syndrome and metastases were observed in only 1.7% and 5.6% of GICs, respectively.


CONCLUSIONS
The incidence of NETs in Japan was clarified by this preliminary study. Comparatively large differences in GICs between Japan and Western nations were present with regard to the location, symptomatic status, and prevalence of malignancy.
Department of Medicine and Bioregulatory Science, Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Kyushu University, 3-1-1 Maidashi, Fukuoka, Japan.
Tetsuhide
T
Ito
Masao
M
Tanaka
Hironobu
H
Sasano
Yoshiyuki R
YR
Osamura
Iwao
I
Sasaki
Wataru
W
Kimura
Koji
K
Takano
Takao
T
Obara
Miyuki
M
Ishibashi
Kazuwa
K
Nakao
Ryuichiro
R
Doi
Akira
A
Shimatsu
Toshirou
T
Nishida
Izumi
I
Komoto
Yukio
Y
Hirata
Masayuki
M
Imamura
Ken
K
Kawabe
Kazuhiko
K
Nakamura
D005770:Gastrointestinal Neoplasms / Q000453:epidemiology*; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D007564:Japan; D018358:Neuroendocrine Tumors / Q000453:epidemiology*