Types of Neuroendocrine Tumors: What You Should Know

Neuroendocrine tumors, also known as NET, may have grown without any symptoms in your body. Various types of neuroendocrine tumors may form in different parts of your body and the growth may vary from patient to patient.

Mostly, the NET appears in the lungs or the gastrointestinal tract. However, there is a chance to find it in your thymus, thyroid gland, adrenal gland, and pituitary gland.

Adrenal Cancer

There is a very important gland on the top of your kidneys, called the adrenal gland. It is triangular and tiny. Moreover, Adrenal glands usually produce hormones that give virtual instructions to each of the organs, cells, and tissues in your body.

What is Adrenal Cancer?

When the Adrenal gland is affected owing to some reasons, adrenal cancer takes place. The inner layer of the adrenal gland (adrenal medulla) is almost made up of neuroendocrine cells. Therefore, if you are affected by such a disease, you may have a well-differentiated neuroendocrine tumor.

It mostly affects children younger than 5 years and adults of their 40s or 50s. There is a huge probability to get a cure for such a medical crisis. But if cancer spread to the areas beyond the adrenal glands, there the possibility of a cure might decrease. Therefore, you must get in touch with a health consultant and check-up regularly.

Symptoms of adrenal cancer

As a symptom you may gain or lose your body weight without any diet or any plan. Your muscles may feel weaker and you may suffer from a lot of back pain. Moreover, you may notice some pink or purple stretch marks on your skin. Moreover, nausea, vomiting, fever, or losses of appetite are the most common symptoms of most types of neuroendocrine cancer in your body.

Risk Factors of adrenal Cancer

Adrenal Cancers mostly affect your organs if you inherited syndromes that increase the risk of certain cancers. These inherited syndromes include bechwith-Wiedemann syndrome, carney complex, Li-Fraumeni syndrome, Lynch Syndrome, or Multiple endocrine neoplasias, type 1 (MEN 1).

Carcinoid Tumors

Carcinoid tumors are the subset of the most common neuroendocrine tumors found in the human body. Let’s figure out the symptoms and all of it.

What are Carcinoid Tumors?

It is a tumor that may take place in various body organs and release hormones into your body. It especially begins its work in the digestive system like the stomach, appendix, small intestine, colon, or rectum. Moreover, it may affect the lungs as well. It can cause signs such as diarrhea or skin flushing. However, the best way to get rid of such a crisis is surgery.

Symptoms of Carcinoid Tumors

If such neuroendocrine cancer types are found in the lungs, you may have chest pain, wheezing, lack of breath, diarrhea, and skin flushing. Moreover, you may gain body weight in some specific areas like around the midsection and the upper back.

If it is found in the digestive tract, you may have some symptoms like abdominal pain, rectal pain, rectal bleeding, and all. Moreover, nausea or vomiting may take place in your body which may assist you with a proper diagnosis.

Risk Factors of Carcinoid Tumors

There are several risk factors regarding such tumors. It includes older age, family history, or sex of a person. If you are a woman, it may harm you more and develop in your body rapidly.

Merkel cell carcinoma

Often people get affected by such skin-related cancers. Let’s check it out.

What is Merkel Cell Carcinoma?

Merkel Cell Carcinoma is a type of skin cancer that can be found rarely in the human body. It is one of the types of neuroendocrine carcinoma which can lead you to various types of neuroendocrine tumors. It often appears on your face, neck, or head as a flesh-colored or bluish-red colored patch. If you are getting old, it may develop in your body.

Symptoms of Merkel Cell Carcinoma

The first sign of this disease is usually painless nodules (tumors) on your skin. It can be of skin color or reddish or bluish. Mostly it appears on the face, neck, and head. However, it can grow anywhere in your body, even the unexposed parts of your body. Proton therapy at Apollo hospital may be the best way to get rid of such a health crisis. They use proton rays to destroy the tumor cells and give fresh skin to you.

Risk Factor of Carcinoid Tumor

There are several risk factors for such types of neuroendocrine tumors. It includes: excessive exposure to UV rays, weakened immune system, previous skin cancer record, and so on. Scientists found that whites are more affected than blacks with such well-differentiated neuroendocrine tumors.

Pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors

It is a group of cancers that can occur in the cells of the pancreas which produce hormones. Let’s know about it.

What are pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors?

Pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors, also known as pNET and islet cell cancer, are a very rare type of cancer found in the human body. They begin in small cells called islet cells which are in the pancreas. There are two variations of such tumors: functional and non-functional. Functional tumors secrete excess amounts of hormones while non-functional tumors don’t do the same.

Symptoms of pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors

Although the symptoms are rarely found in the human body, there might b e a chance to get these signs: stomach ulcer, heartburn, diabetes, weakness, indigestion, muscle cramp, fatigue, skin rash, constipation, pain in the abdominal back, and so on.

Risk Factors of Pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors

Such syndrome mostly affects male bodies. Moreover, a family history may also be a cause of such a tumor in your body.

Pheochromocytoma

Let’s have an idea of another type of neuroendocrine tumor that can be cured with proton therapy at Apollo hospital.

What is Pheochromocytoma?

Pheochromocytoma is a type of neuroendocrine tumor that increases from chromaffin cells of the adrenal gland. However, it’s a little different from adrenal cancer.

Symptoms of Pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors

The most common signs and symptoms of such tumors are high blood pressure, headache, heavy sweating, tremors, pallor, and shortness of breath. The less common signs are anxiety or a sense of doom, blurry vision, constipation, and weight loss.

Risk Factors of Pheochromocytoma

Most people between the ages of 20 to 50 have such tumors. However, it can appear in any aged person. If you have a certain inherited disorder, there is a high risk of pheochromocytoma. Moreover, it may lead you to neuroendocrine cancer.