Prognostic Factors in Typical and Atypical Pulmonary Carcinoids.

Background: Typical and atypical carcinoids represent approximately 2% of all lung tumors. Survival of patients with typical bronchial carcinoids, unlike the survival of patients with most lung tumors, is generally long but dependent on stage. We report the findings of the Ochsner Medical Center/Louisiana State University (LSU) Health Sciences Center neuroendocrine tumor (NET) program.

Neuroendocrine tumors (NETs) of unknown primary: is early surgical exploration and aggressive debulking justifiable?

Background: Neuroendocrine tumors (NETs) are rare tumors that often present with vague symptoms. Identification and localization of the primary NET can be challenging and the true incidence remains unclear. These patients have been thought to have a poor prognosis compared to those patients with a known primary.

A single institution's experience with surgical cytoreduction of stage IV, well-differentiated, small bowel neuroendocrine tumors.

Background: Well-differentiated neuroendocrine tumors (NETs) of the gastrointestinal tract are rare, slow-growing neoplasms. Clinical outcomes in a group of stage IV, well-differentiated patients with NETs with small bowel primaries undergoing cytoreductive surgery and multidisciplinary management at a single center were evaluated.

Study Design: The charts of 189 consecutive patients who underwent surgical cytoreduction for their small bowel NETs were reviewed.

An extended phase II trial of iodine-125 methylene blue for sentinel lymph node identification in women with breast cancer.

Background: The aim of this study was to determine if an intraoperative injection of iodine-125-labeled methylene blue ((125)I-MB) is a sensitive and effective method for detecting SLNs in women with breast cancer.

Study Design: Sixty-two women were enrolled in an extended phase II trial using (125)I-MB to guide SLNB. All patients were anesthetized and then injected subcutaneously with 1 mCi (125)I-MB in the outer quadrant of the areola.

Neurokinin A levels predict survival in patients with stage IV well differentiated small bowel neuroendocrine neoplasms.

Background: Recent European investigations have shown that persistently elevated (>50 pg/mL) plasma neurokinin A levels are associated with poor short-term survival in patients with midgut neuroendocrine neoplasms. We hypothesized that American patients with persistently elevated plasma neurokinin A levels (>50 pg/mL) will also have a poor short-term survival.

Methods: Serial plasma neurokinin A levels were collected from the charts of 180 patients with metastatic midgut neuroendocrine neoplasms.

A prospective evaluation of the effect of chronic proton pump inhibitor use on plasma biomarker levels in humans.

Objective: Proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) are used primarily to treat gastroesophageal reflux disease. Proton pump inhibitor-induced achlorhydria increases circulating gastrin and chromogranin A (CGA). Chromogranin is a widely used biomarker for the diagnosis and follow-up for gut-based neuroendocrine tumors (NETs).