Neuroendocrine Neoplasma Essay

Optimal management of NSCLC now requires that tumours be screened for a certain range of predictive and prognostic biomarkers that help to predict sensitivity to targeted therapy and estimate prognosis respectively . For NSCLC, much of the work in the past years has been focussed on mutations of the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) and on the abnormal fusion of the anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK) being inhibited successfully with EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKI) and crizotinib respectively. Targeted agents are now being rationally designed to inhibit particular mutations leading to a more streamlined clinical trial process. In this review, we will examine the major subtypes of driver mutations that have been identified in NSCLC and relevant targeted therapies available both now, and in the foreseeable future.

Dr Jennifer Chan, the head of this tumor research, is an Associate Professor & Neuropathologist in the Department of Pathology & Laboratory Medicine, Oncology, and Clinical Neuroscience in the University of Calgary. Besides her work on education, she is also directing a tumorigenesis research team at the University of Calgary, and a tumor banking program which supports pediatric cancer research. Nonetheless, she is also a member of both the Southern Alberta Cancer Research Institute and the Experimental and Applied Therapeutics Program (ExpAT).

This year, an estimate of 53,070 adults, have been or will be diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. (27,670 men and 25,400 women). Pancreatic cancer is the ninth most common cancer in women. Pancreatic cancer should have the most attention because doctors still don’t know how to diagnose this type of cancer yet. The main problem is cost-effective screening tests that easily and reliably find early-stages of pancreatic cancer in people, sometimes show no symptoms.Often “times it is” not found until later stages when the cancer can no longer be surgically removed and has spread from the pancreas to other parts of the body. ("Pancreatic Cancer: Statistics", 2017)

The medical director ordered a postvoid catheterization, which yielded 100 mL of cloudy urine that had

Learning Objective 1: 18.1 Compare control of body functions by the nervous system and endocrine system.

So, with this increase in toxicity over single agent inhibition of the PD-1 checkpoint, an increase in efficacy would be required to support development of the combination. At the doses of tremelimumab considered tolerable, among PD-L1 positive patients (based on staining in 25% of the cancer cells), the response rate does not appear superior to single agent PD-1 inhibition.2,4 However, among those without high level PD-L1 expression, 4 of 14 patients responded to the combination, while with approved agents, no more than 2 patients would anticipated to respond.2,4

Paragangliomas are rare neuroendocrine tumors that arise from the extra-adrenal autonomic paraganglia, small organs consisting mainly of neuroendocrine cells that are derived from the embryonic neural crest and have the ability to secrete catecholamines (1). They are closely related to pheochromocytomas, which are sometimes referred to as intra-adrenal paragangliomas (2). The majority appear to be sporadic, but approximately one-third to one-half are associated with an inherited syndrome (3, 4). The four genetic syndromes that are associated are: multiple endocrine neoplasia 2A and 2B, neurofibromatosis type 1, von Hippel Lindau, and the Carney-Stratakis dyad. The male-to-female ratio is approximately equal among patients with hereditary paraganglioma,

Ependymoma is a type of brain tumor and while it is rare in adults, accounting for 2-3% of brain tumors, ependymoma is mainly found in children and accounts for around 5% of all childhood brain cancers (American Cancer Society [ACS], 2014, January 31; American Brain Tumor Association [ABTA], n.d.). The survival rate of patients with ependymoma who have survived five years after their tumor is detected is 75% Tumors occur when cells grow to excess and form a mass. While some tumors are benign, meaning that they are harmless, others are malignant, or cancerous. Ependymoma is a malignant cancerous brain tumor (“American Society of Clinical Oncology [ASCO]– Childhood,” n.d.). The tumor appears as soft, grey or red tumors and could comprise of cysts or mineral calcifications.

Solid pseudopapillary neoplasm (SPN) of the pancreas is a rare cystic tumor that is endocrine in origin, therefore, typically found in the head and/or body of the pancreas. SPN constitutes about 1% of all pancreatic neoplasms, but advancements in diagnostic imaging have led to an increase in findings. Patients with SPN are usually asymptomatic and those with symptoms report generalized abdominal discomfort. Lab values used to evaluate the pancreas are usually within normal limits. Because these neoplasms are typically asymptomatic they grow undetected and masses in the head will produce symptoms associated with obstruction and pancreatitis.

Over 30,000 people are diagnosed with pancreatic cancer each year (Pancreatic Cancer 1). The pancreas is a small gland located near the stomach. Treatments for this type of cancer is very limited because it is often only discovered after it has progressed past the point of no return. Once the cancer has metastasized, or spread, the only option is to hope that chemotherapy and radiation can

Carcinoid tumors are a subset of neuroendocrine tumors and overall incidence of carcinoids in the United States is estimated at 5.25 cases per 100,000 population. The majority of carcinoid tumors arise within the gastrointestinal tract (58%), with the pulmonary system as the next most common site of origin (27%). The remainder (15%) arises from other or unknown locations1.

The endocrine system is a group of glands distributed throughout the human body. This group of glands secretes substances called hormones. These hormones are dumping into the bloodstream (Shier, Butler & Lewis, 2009). The endocrine system does not have a single anatomic location. It is dispersed throughout the human body. The final purpose of this process is to control, regulate, and coordinate the functioning of the human body. Some body functions can be activated or inhibited by hormones, which are secreted in very small quantities. The hormone related diseases may be due to hyper secretion, or a hypo secretion. The hormones secreted by the endocrine glands regulate growth, development and function of many tissues, and coordinate the

Pheochromocytoma is an adrenal gland tissue tumor. (PubMed) This growth is a result of excessive release of catecholamine’s (hormones). Norepinephrine and epinephrine are the primary hormones secreted while some can produce dopamine. (Medscape) These increased chemicals in the body can influence the persons “heart rate, blood pressure and metabolism”. (PubMed) If not treated these tumors affect the cardiovascular system and can lead to the development of “life threatening hypertension”. (Medscape) These tumors can be seen as a single mass or multiple tumors and can appear unilateral or bilateral in the body. (PubMed) Thirty percent of pheochromocytoma cases are found to be heredity where ten genes have been linked to the condition. Ten percent of pheochromocytomas are malignant and the most common sites of metastasis include “liver, bone and lymph nodes”. (Medscape)

Abstract ABSTRACT OPTION 1: Tumor boards are meetings of multidisciplinary medical professionals that have as their goal to collectively evaluate cancer patients and recommend the best treatments for them. These boards are convened in order to collect the perspectives of multiple doctors from a multidisciplinary approach. This approach is proper in high-stakes cases where the patient’s survival is at stake and more than one doctor’s perspective is needed. However, despite the assembled expertise of these boards, they often fail to produce the desired outcomes of optimal recommendations for patient treatment. In this study, I seek to explain why that may be the case.

Insulinomas are the most frequent of the pancreatic neuroendocrine tumours accounting for 50% of cases. 10-15% are malignant and more than 99% are found in the pancreas. They are typically small, less than 2cm in size.