Clinical Profiles and Survival Outcomes of Patients With Well-Differentiated Neuroendocrine Tumors at a Health Network in New South Wales, Australia: Retrospective Study

Background Neuroendocrine tumors (NETs) are a heterogeneous group of malignancies with varying and often indolent clinicobiological characteristics according to their primary location. NETs can affect any organ and hence present with nonspecific symptoms that can lead to a delay in diagnosis. The incidence of NETs is increasing in Australia; data regarding characteristics of NETs were collected from the cancer registry of Hunter New England, Australia. Objective This study aimed to explore the clinical profiles and treatment and survival outcomes of patients with well-differentiated NETs in an Australian population. Methods We reviewed the data of all adult patients who received the diagnosis of NET between 2008 and 2013. The clinicopathological, treatment, and follow-up data were extracted from the local Cancer Clinical Registry. We also recorded the level of remoteness for each patient by matching the patient’s residential postcode to the corresponding Australian Bureau of Statistics 2011 remoteness area category. Univariate analysis was used to find the factors associated with NET-related mortality. Survival analysis was computed. Results Data from 96 patients were included in the study (men: 37/96, 38.5%, and women: 59/96, 61.5%). The median age at diagnosis was approximately 63 years. A higher proportion of patients lived in remote/rural areas (50/96, 52.1%) compared with those living in city/metropolitan regions (46/96, 47.9%). The most common primary tumor site was the gastroenteropancreatic tract, followed by the lung. The factors significantly associated with NET-related mortality were age, primary tumor site, surgical resection status, tumor grade, and clinical stage of the patient. At 5 years, the overall survival rate was found to be 62%, and the disease-free survival rate was 56.5%. Conclusions Older age, advanced unresectable tumors, evidence of metastasis, and higher-grade tumors were associated with poorer outcomes. Lung tumors had a higher risk of NET-related mortality compared with other sites.