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- Landerholm, Kalle, 1976-
(författare)
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Clinical and immunohistochemical studies of small bowel carcinoid tumours
- 2011
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Small bowel carcinoid tumours arising from enterochromaffin cells in the jejunum and ileum are neuroendocrine tumours (NETs) characterized by secretion of serotonin, tachykinins and other bioactive substances. These substances may lead to the typical carcinoid syndrome as well as pronounced fibrosis locally and in the heart. Although the most frequent histological subtype of malignancy in the small bowel, small bowel carcinoids are rare and therefore difficult to study. We found that previous studies either described selected patients at referral centres, or were based on limited data from large registries. The main objective of this thesis was to investigate small bowel carcinoid patients from a geographically defined cohort with no selection bias.PAPERS I AND IIThe aims of papers I and II were to investigate the incidence, histopathological characteristics, stage atdiagnosis, symptomatology, surgical treatment, prognostic factors and survival of small bowel carcinoid.All patients resident in Jönköping County when diagnosed with small bowel carcinoid between 1960 and2005 were eligible for inclusion. After thorough review of medical records and reexamination of availabletumour specimens, 145 patients were included.A higher incidence of small bowel carcinoid than previously described was found: 1.12 per 100,000 persons and year. The incidence increased during the study period. Symptoms were most often uncharacteristic: the carcinoid syndrome was seen in only 13% of symptomatic patients. Many small bowel carcinoid tumours presented as surgical emergencies without preceding symptoms, often as intestinal obstruction (35%) caused by mesenteric fibrosis. The majority of small bowel carcinoid tumours had metastasized to the mesentery or the liver at diagnosis. Disease-specific survival after 5 years was 75.0% and after 10 years 63.5%. Independent prognostic factors for worse disease-specific survival were higher age at diagnosis, more advanced disease stage at diagnosis and incomplete tumour resection. Completeness of resection was of particular importance in patients with regional metastases.PAPER IIIThere are previous case reports describing small bowel carcinoid in two first-degree relatives, but it is unknown whether this represents hereditary disease forms or chance. Paper III was the first article to describe metastasizing ileal carcinoid tumours in three consecutive generations − strongly suggestive of a hereditary disease form.PAPER IVWe recently demonstrated expression of cocaine- and amphetamine-regulated transcript (CART) in several types of NETs, including small bowel carcinoid. The aim of paper IV was to investigate whether content of CART in small bowel carcinoid tumours is associated with tumour characteristics, symptoms and survival. CART expression was examined in all available tumour specimens from the patients in Papers I and II − 97 patients were included.Presence of CART IR tumour cells was associated with histological grade, but not with stage or age. CART expression in small bowel carcinoid tumours was not associated with clinical symptoms. Increasing levels of CART IR in small bowel carcinoid tumour cells was associated with worse disease-specific survival. CART was also found to increase cell viability in an enteroendocrine cell line in vitro. The results suggest that CART could be used as a prognostic biomarker and that CART is a potential anti-tumour treatment target.
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| 2. |
- Landerholm, Kalle, et al.
(författare)
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Cocaine- and Amphetamine-Regulated Transcript in Neuroendocrine Tumors
- 2011
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Ingår i: Neuroendocrinology. - : S. Karger AG. - 0028-3835 .- 1423-0194. ; 94:3, s. 228-236
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background/Aims: Cocaine-and amphetamine-regulated transcript (CART) is an anorexigenic regulatory peptide highly expressed in the brain's appetite control centers, but also in peripheral neurons and in endocrine cells in the adrenal medulla, thyroid, pancreatic islets, and in the gastrointestinal tract. Plasma levels of CART were recently shown to be elevated in patients with neuroendocrine tumors (NETs), but the cellular sources of CART in NETs have remained unknown. The aim of the study was to establish whether CART is expressed in various types of NETs and, if so, to examine the frequency, distribution and phenotype of CART-expressing cells. Methods: Tumor specimens from 133 NETs originating in the stomach, ileum, rectum, pancreas and thyroid were examined with immunohistochemistry and in situ hybridization. The expression of CART was quantified and the CART-expressing cells were phenotyped by double staining for established markers and hormones. Results: CART-expressing tumor cells were found in the majority of the examined NETs. The expression pattern of CART was highly heterogeneous not only between tumors, but also within individual tumors. In 14% of the NETs, CART was found in a major population of the tumor cells. Conclusion: CART is produced in the majority of NETs, regardless of tumor origin. This likely explains the elevated levels of circulating CART in certain NETs patients, as recently described. CART could therefore prove to be a useful tool in the diagnostics of NETs not only in blood samples, but also in histopathological specimens. Copyright (C) 2011 S. Karger AG, Basel
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| 3. |
- Landerholm, Kalle, et al.
(författare)
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Survival and prognostic factors in patients with small bowel carcinoid tumour
- 2011
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Ingår i: British Journal of Surgery. - : Wiley-Blackwell. - 0007-1323 .- 1365-2168. ; 98:11, s. 1617-1624
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- BACKGROUND: Previous studies of small bowel carcinoid tumours usually presented overall or relative survival. This study, in addition, evaluated disease-specific survival in a cohort of patients in a geographically defined population.METHODS: Patients diagnosed with carcinoid of the jejunum or ileum in Jönköping County between 1960 and 2005 were eligible for inclusion. Available tumour specimens were re-examined to confirm the diagnosis. Medical records and pathology reports were reviewed in detail.RESULTS: A total of 145 patients were included in the study. One hundred and thirty-five patients underwent surgery in connection with the diagnosis. Resection was considered complete (R0) in 74 patients (54·8 per cent). Only two localized tumours recurred, whereas no patient with distant metastases was cured. Patients with regional metastases who underwent R0 resection had a better survival than patients with incomplete resection (P = 0·005), and a majority of patients remained recurrence-free. Median overall survival was 7·2 years and median disease-specific survival 12·3 years. In multivariable analysis, age 61-74 years (hazard ratio (HR) 3·78, 95 per cent confidence interval 1·86 to 7·68), age 75 years or more (HR 3·96, 1·79 to 8·74), distant metastases (HR 14·44, 1·59 to 131·36) and incomplete tumour resection (HR 2·71, 1·11 to 6·61) were associated with worse disease-specific survival. Later time period of diagnosis (HR 0·45, 0·24 to 0·84) was associated with better disease-specific survival.CONCLUSION: Age, disease stage and complete resection were identified as independent prognostic factors for survival in patients with small bowel carcinoid tumours. The importance of achieving R0 resection is therefore emphasized.
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