Trends in diagnosis of gastroenteropancreatic neuroendocrine tumors (GEP-NETs) in India: A report of multicenter data from a web-based registry.

INTRODUCTION: Gastroenteropancreatic neuroendocrine tumors (GEP-NETs) are rare tumors. We report data of 407 GEP-NET cases from a neuroendocrine tumor (NET) registry in India.

METHODS: The AP-NET registry is an open-label, multicenter, longitudinal observational registry of patients with GEP-NETs in which six tertiary care oncology centers contributed data. Data was prospectively entered in a dedicated computerized database and was reviewed retrospectively. The patients were divided into three cohorts-those diagnosed from 2001 to 2005, from 2006 to 2010, and from 2011 to 2016.

RESULTS: Of the 407 cases registered, 37 were in Cohort I, 136 in Cohort II, and 234 in Cohort III. Majority were symptomatic with only 98 patients (24.0%) asymptomatic. The most common presentation of non-functional tumors was abdominal pain (42.4%), while functional tumors presented most commonly with carcinoid syndrome. Use of DOTA-PET, introduced in 2011, has increased evaluation in 33.3% patients in Cohort III. The most common primary site was pancreas in all three cohorts. Male preponderance (58.3%) was seen. Histopathological grading was obtained in 230 (56.5%) patients-118 (29%) Grade I, 74 (18.2%) Grade II, and 36 (8.8%) Grade III NET.

CONCLUSION: This report highlights changing trends in the diagnosis and reporting of NETs over the last 15 years.