Publications by authors named "Espen-Thiis Evensen"

Adolescents most often experience mild acute COVID-19, but may still face fatigue and persistent symptoms such as post-COVID-19 condition (PCC) and post-infective fatigue syndrome (PIFS). We explored the fecal microbiota of SARS-CoV-2 positive and negative non-hospitalized adolescents and young adults (12-25 years of age) in the "Long-Term Effects of COVID-19 in Adolescents" (LoTECA) project, a longitudinal observational cohort study. With a targeted qPCR approach, the quantities of 100 fecal bacterial taxa were measured at baseline (early convalescent stage) in 145 SARS-CoV-2-positive and 32 SARS-CoV-2 negative participants and after six months in 107 of the SARS-CoV-2-positive and 19 of the SARS-CoV-2 negative participants.

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Several inflammation scores have shown association with survival outcomes for patients with neuroendocrine tumours (NET) treated with peptide receptor radionuclide therapy (PRRT). However, whether these scores add value to established prognostic factors remains unknown. In this retrospective, cohort study of 557 NET patients undergoing PRRT in a tertiary referral centre from 2005 to 2015, we examined inflammatory markers and scores previously associated with cancer outcomes, using Cox proportional hazard models and Akaike's information criterion.

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Neuroendocrine tumours (NETs) can arise in different locations in the body, and may give rise to hormonal symptoms, which amongst other factors may affect patients' health-related quality of life (HRQoL). Up to four cycles of peptide receptor radionuclide therapy (PRRT) have been shown effective for symptom alleviation and prolonging progression-free survival. The aim of this study was to assess the patient's perspective regarding changes in their HRQoL during PRRT.

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Lung neuroendocrine neoplasms (NEN) are a heterogeneous population of neoplasms with different pathology, clinical behavior, and prognosis compared to the more common lung cancers. The diagnostic work-up and treatment of patients with lung- NEN has undergone major recent advances and new methods are currently being introduced into the clinic. These Nordic guidelines summarize and update the Nordic Neuroendocrine Tumor Group's current view on how to diagnose and treat lung NEN-patients and are meant to be useful in the daily practice for clinicians handling these patients.

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The incidence of neuroendocrine neoplasms (NENs) has increased over the last decades. The prevalence of NENs has to a lesser extent been previously reported. We wanted to study the trends in incidence and prevalence of NEN in Norway from 1993 to 2021 through the Cancer Registry of Norway.

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Background: Awareness of the potential global overtreatment of patients with appendiceal neuroendocrine tumours (NETs) of 1-2 cm in size by performing oncological resections is increasing, but the rarity of this tumour has impeded clear recommendations to date. We aimed to assess the malignant potential of appendiceal NETs of 1-2 cm in size in patients with or without right-sided hemicolectomy.

Methods: In this retrospective cohort study, we pooled data from 40 hospitals in 15 European countries for patients of any age and Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status with a histopathologically confirmed appendiceal NET of 1-2 cm in size who had a complete resection of the primary tumour between Jan 1, 2000, and Dec 31, 2010.

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Small intestinal neuroendocrine tumours (Si-NET) are often studied as a uniform group. Proliferation index Ki-67 influences prognosis and determines tumour grade. We hypothesized that Si-NET grade 2 (G2) tumours, which have a higher Ki-67 than G1 tumours, might benefit less from established treatments for metastatic disease.

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Background: In patients with neuroendocrine liver metastasis (NELM), liver transplantation (LT) is an alternative to liver resection (LR), although the choice of therapy remains controversial. In this multicenter study, we aim to provide novel insight in this dispute.

Methods: Following a systematic literature search, 15 large international centers were contacted to provide comprehensive data on their patients after LR or LT for NELM.

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There is an unmet need for novel biomarkers to diagnose and monitor patients with neuroendocrine neoplasms. The EXPLAIN study explores a multi-plasma protein and supervised machine learning strategy to improve the diagnosis of pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors (PanNET) and differentiate them from small intestinal neuroendocrine tumors (SI-NET). At time of diagnosis, blood samples were collected and analyzed from 39 patients with PanNET, 135 with SI-NET (World Health Organization Grade 1-2) and 144 controls.

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Background: Consistent participation in colorectal cancer (CRC) screening with repeated fecal immunochemical test (FIT) is important for the success of the screening program. We investigated whether lifestyle risk factors for CRC were related to inconsistent participation in up to four rounds of FIT-screening.

Method: We included data from 3,051 individuals who participated in up to four FIT-screening rounds and returned a lifestyle questionnaire.

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Background: The diagnostic work-up and treatment of patients with gastroenteropancreatic (GEP) neuroendocrine neoplasms (NEN) has undergone major advances and new methods are introduced. Furthermore, an update of the WHO classification has resulted in a new nomenclature for GEP-NEN that is implemented in the clinic.

Aim: These Nordic guidelines summarise the Nordic Neuroendocrine Tumour Group's current view on how to diagnose and treat GEP-NEN patients and aims to be useful in the daily practice for clinicians.

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Background: Lifestyle factors may help to identify individuals at high-risk for colorectal cancer (CRC).

Aims: To examine the association between lifestyle, referral for follow-up colonoscopy and proximal neoplasia detection in CRC screening.

Methods: In this observational study, 14,832 individuals aged 50-74 years were invited to faecal immunochemical test (FIT) or sigmoidoscopy screening.

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Background: Small intestinal neuroendocrine tumors (SI-NETs) are difficult to diagnose in the early stage of disease. Current blood biomarkers such as chromogranin A (CgA) and 5-hydroxyindolacetic acid have low sensitivity (SEN) and specificity (SPE). This is a first preplanned interim analysis (Nordic non-interventional, prospective, exploratory, EXPLAIN study [NCT02630654]).

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Background: Patients with metastatic small-intestinal neuroendocrine tumours (NET) have been shown to have a reduced quality of life compared to the general population and many have disabling symptoms during somatostatin analogue (SSA) treatment. The aim of this prospective study was to document the patient-reported symptoms, coping and quality of life during SSA treatment and to measure patients' fat-soluble vitamin levels.

Methods: Patients with metastatic small-intestinal NET on treatment with long-acting SSA were included.

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Background: There are several treatment modalities for unresectable neuroendocrine tumors. Traditionally, the aim of these treatments has been to reduce the tumor load; referred to as objective response (OR). Less emphasis has been put on inducing the tumors to stop growing without a reduction in total tumor load; termed as stable disease (SD).

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Background: Retrospective studies are conflicting but most of them report that an increase in plasma chromogranin A (CgA) predicts tumor progression in neuroendocrine tumor (NET) patients. Prospectively, we investigated if a change in plasma CgA is associated with tumor burden changes in NET patients with disseminated disease.

Methods: We included 239 patients treated at 5 NET centers from December 2010 to December 2013.

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Peptide receptor radiotherapy (PRRT) with Lu-DOTATATE has emerged as a promising therapy for neuroendocrine tumors (NETs). This retrospective cohort study aimed to assess the outcome of PRRT for 22 patients with histopathologically confirmed pheochromocytoma (PCC) and paraganglioma (PGL), of which two were localized and 20 metastatic. Radiological response utilized response evaluation criteria in solid tumors 1.

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Evaluate associations between clinical outcomes and SNPs in patients with well-differentiated pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors receiving sunitinib. Kaplan-Meier and Cox proportional hazards models were used to analyze the association between SNPs and survival outcomes using data from a sunitinib Phase IV (genotyped, n = 56) study. Fisher's exact test was used to analyze objective response rate and genotype associations.

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Purpose: Imbalance in the microbiota, dysbiosis, has been identified in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). We explored the fecal microbiota in pediatric patients with treatment-naïve IBD, non-IBD patients with gastrointestinal symptoms and healthy children, its relation to IBD subgroups, and treatment outcomes.

Patients And Methods: Fecal samples were collected from 235 children below 18 years of age.

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Objective: The Response Evaluation Criteria In Solid Tumors (RECIST) is the most used radiological method for evaluating response after peptide receptor radionuclide therapy (PRRT) in patients with neuroendocrine tumors. This method may give too positive estimates of response in slow growing tumors as it allows a substantial increase in tumor size before patients are classified as having progressive disease. We wanted to compare RECIST with a conventional method in routine use for estimating treatment effect based on defining any unequivocal increase in size of tumor load as progressive disease.

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Background: In a phase III study, sunitinib led to a significant increase in progression-free survival (PFS) versus placebo in patients with pancreatic neuroendocrine tumours (panNETs). This study was a post-marketing commitment to support the phase III data.

Methods: In this ongoing, open-label, phase IV trial (NCT01525550), patients with progressive, advanced unresectable/metastatic, well-differentiated panNETs received continuous sunitinib 37.

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Neuroendocrine neoplasms (NENs) are heterogeneous tumors originating from neuroendocrine cells. Their malignant potential varies from indolence to high-grade malignancy (carcinomas). We studied the survival of all NENs in Norway according to malignant potential and different primary sites.

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Objective: To describe the prevalence of serological markers in newly diagnosed treatment-naïve pediatric inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), their utility in differentiating Crohn's disease (CD), ulcerative colitis (UC) and symptomatic non-IBD patients and whether serological markers are associated with early TNF blocker treatment.

Material And Methods: Ninety-six children and adolescents <18 years, 58 with IBD and 38 symptomatic non-IBD controls were included. At diagnosis and after 1-2 years, serological antibodies (anti-Saccharomyces cerevisiae antibodies (ASCA), perinuclear anti-neutrophil cytoplasmic antibody (pANCA), flagellin expressed by Clostridial phylum (anti-CBir1), outer membrane porin of Escherichia coli (anti-OmpC), Pseudomonas fluorescens-associated sequence (anti-I2), CRP, ESR and fecal calprotectin were analyzed.

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Background: Epidemiological studies show an increasing trend in the incidence of neuroendocrine neoplasms (NENs). A significant number of NENs occur in less common primary sites, but they are often excluded from the population-based studies. We studied the incidence trends of all NENs in Norway according to different primary sites.

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