Abstract 53P
Background
Gastric neuroendocrine neoplasms (gNENs) are rare neoplasms arising from stomach enterochromaffin-like (ECL) cells. Type I gNENs are the most common type, typically indolent and arising in the context of chronic atrophic gastritis (CAG). While type I gNENs are generally diagnosed in patients over 50 years, their occurrence in younger patients raises concern about the onset of CAG-related complications at an earlier age, potentially affecting tumor growth and clinical outcomes. Young-oriented studies on type I gNENs are still lacking in literature. The aim of this study was to evaluate the clinical characteristics of type I gNENs diagnosed in patients under 50 years, searching for potential age-related features.
Methods
An excellent ENETS center single-center retrospective observational study included consecutive patients with type I gNENs diagnosed at age younger than 50. Data on patients’ comorbidities and tumor characteristics were collected.
Results
Out of 99 patients with type I gNENs, 20 were enrolled (F:M=15:5). The median age at diagnosis was 42.2 (CI 31-48). 18/20 (90%) patients had autoimmune CAG, while two had CAG of unspecified etiology. 16/20 (80%) patients had other correlated autoimmune diseases (DM1 or autoimmune thyroiditis). The majority of gNENs was G1 (16/20, 80%) with median Ki67 value 2.5 (CI 0-13), located in the corpus/fundus (median dimensions 6.1 mm, CI 2-20 mm). 12/20 (60%) patients experienced recurrence of small G1 gNENs. 3/20 (15%) patients underwent surgical treatment due to evidence of lymph node involvement on Gallium-PET DOTANOC (1/20, 5%), tumor size greater than 15 mm (1/20, 5%) or grading G2 according to WHO Classification (1/20, 5%).
Conclusions
Type I gNENs in patients younger than 50 years showed clinical and tumor-related features comparable to those in older patients, without any apparent age-related negative prognostic factors. Studies on a larger case series and with a longer follow-up are necessary to optimize management strategies for this population.
Clinical trial identification
Editorial acknowledgement
Legal entity responsible for the study
The authors.
Funding
Has not received any funding.
Disclosure
All authors have declared no conflicts of interest.