What is a neuroendocrine tumor?
neuroendocrine tumor is a cluster of abnormally growing cells located in or near the endocrine glands. Such tumors mainly occur in the lungs or stomach. However, they can grow anywhere in the body. There are about 10 different types of neuroendocrine tumors, from carcinoids to vasoactive intestinal polypeptide tumors. They are all associated with hyper-production of one of the hormones in the body and lead to unusually high and harmful hormone levels that can sometimes be repaired through prescription or special diet drugs.
carcinoids are the most common type of neuroendocrine tumor, followed by oat cell. Oat cells are small cancer cells specifically placed in the lungs. Carcinoids occur mostly in the intestines, stomach, ovaries or testicles, tumors associated with cells that produce amines or peptides.
There are also several other varieties of endocrine tumors. The type of neuroendocrine tumor that occurs in stomach and spurs of excess release of mountainsMonalry gastrin is called gastrinoma. Gastrinomas are usually found at the beginning of the small intestine or abdominal. Insulinoma is a neuroendocrine tumor that creates excessive insulin levels. Another type of tumor called paragangloma is the neuroendocrine growth, which is most often formed on the neck, face and modifications. In rare cases, they may appear on the abdomen or blood vessels at any of the above locations.
other types of neuroendocrine tumors include feochromocytoma, glucagonomist, medular carcinoma and endocrine pancreatic tumors. Pheochromocytoms attack the kidney areas on the top of the kidneys, causing overproduction of chemicals such as epinephrine, what kind of tumor attacks the adrenal glands. Rarely occurring glucagonomists are tumors that attack island cells inside the pancreas. Medular carcinomas are cancerouswths that connect to the thyroid gland and secrete the hormoNY known as calcitonin that exhaust calcium levels in blood plasma. Although they do not occur too often, endocrine pancreatic tumors may occur in middle -aged women due to stunted stem cells in the endocrine system.
tumor of vasoactive intestinal polypeptide, often called simply "peptide tumor", is another type of neuroendocrine tumor. These tumors are the result of abnormal and excessive production of island cells, usually in the pancreas. However, these peptide tumors can also form in the kidney area near the adrenal gland.
When multiple neuroendocrine tumors appear together, there is sometimes a symptom known as the syndrome of multiple endocrine neoplasia. This genetic syndrome can result in several different types of irregular growth in the endocrine system. However, not all growth are malignant.
doctors may discover a neuroendocrine tumor via endoscopy, displaying a scano biopsy. In addition to medicines, the treatment may be includedalso freezing tumors or cutting them. Sometimes surgeons can use radiation to warm up and destroy tumors.