Breaking neuroendocrine cancer

Because of the name, you might think that neuroendocrine cancer somehow is related to nerve cells and hormones, but that is not true. The tumor begins in endocrine cells-which means they can develop anywhere hormone-producing cells are present.

Which says, the most common place in the body for neuroendocrine cancer to start growing is the digestive tract (GI), lung -lung, and pancreas.

Neuroendocrine cancer is difficult to understand because it does not only develop in various parts of the body, but tumors also act and grow differently. That means symptoms and care also vary. And there is no real cause.

Obviously mud? Let’s dive a little more.

What is neuroendocrine cancer?

Neuroendocrine tumors are rare, but the number of people diagnosed with them increases. That is probably because, in part, for better testing.

These tumors begin in the body’s endocrine cells, which are tasked with producing hormones and release them into the bloodstream. These hormones act as chemical message carriers – they control and coordinate activities throughout the body.

Although there are various types of neuroendocrine tumors, there are also different classifications.

To start with, neuroendocrine tumors can function, meaning they produce excess hormones and can cause symptoms related to hormones, or non -functional, which means not.

They can also be lazy or aggressive. Indolent tumors grow slowly. There is a risk of lower spread (or metastasis) with lazy tumors. Aggressive tumors grow rapidly. They are more likely to spread.

However, it is important to note that all malignant neuroendocrine tumors, or cancer.

Comparing various types of neuroendocrine tumors

Gi

Most often, neuroendocrine cancer is formed in the GI channel. That includes the stomach, intestine, and attachment. But most begin in the small intestine.

Neuroendocrine GI tumors are also known as GI carcinoid tumors.

Lungs

After the GI channel, the second most common part of the body for neuroendocrine cancer to develop is the lung airways.

This pulmonary tumor can be broken down further with how different cancer cells appear compared to normal cells. If the cell looks like a normal cell, cancer is considered to be of low quality. If they look much different from normal cells, tumors are considered high quality.

In addition, this type of cancer can be classified further as a small cell neuroendocrine carcinoma or large cell neuroendocrine carcinoma.

Pancreas

Pancreatic neuroendocrine cancer is less rare than GI and Lung.

Tumors that begin in the pancreas most often do not function and do not cause symptoms. However, there is a functional pancreatal neuroendocrine tumor that causes symptoms. Some of them include:

• Gastrinoma
• Somastatinoma
• Insulinoma
• Glucagonomas
• Vipoma

Each functional pancreatal neuroendocrine tumor is named after the hormone it produces. For example, gastrinoma produces too much gastrin, which can cause too much stomach acid.

Neuroendocrine cancer in other parts of the body

It is possible for neuroendocrine tumors to develop in the body.

This more frequent type of cancer can develop in:

• The adrenal glands (called phechromocytoma if the tumor grows in one of the glands, and paraganglioma if the tumor grows outside the gland)
• Skin (called mercury cell carcinoma)
• Thyroid (called thyroid medular cancer)

Symptoms of neuroendocrine tumors

Some people with this tumor have symptoms, but not everyone does it. If you have symptoms, what type you have is likely to depend on the location of the tumor. For example, if you have a tumor in your lungs, you may experience chest pain or difficulty breathing.

Symptoms may also depend on whether the functional tumor is or not functioning.

However, there are some common symptoms that are common for neuroendocrine tumors. Some of them include:

• Cough or wheezing
• Foot swelling or ankle
• High blood pressure
• Redness and warmth on the face or neck, without sweating (also called rinsing)
• Unresolved weight loss
• Weakness

Because the symptoms are very common, they can often be misinterpreted as something else. ;

Treat neuroendocrine cancer

Like every aspect of other neuroendocrine cancer, there is no one measure for all in terms of treatment.

If you are diagnosed with neuroendocrine tumors, your treatment will likely depend on the location of your tumor, how it is classified, your overall health, and other factors.

Some general treatments for this tumor include:

• Active supervision (watching and waiting to see whether treatment is needed)
• Chemotherapy
• Hormone therapy
• Operation
• Radiation therapy
• Targeted therapy

In addition, radioactive drugs are often used to treat several types of neuroendocrine tumors. They work by binding receptors to certain cancer cells and giving direct radiation to the tumor.