Initiating Pancreatic Neuroendocrine Tumor (pNET) Screening in Young MEN1 Patients: results from the DutchMEN Study Group

  • Mirthe J Klein Haneveld
  • , Mark J C van Treijen
  • , Carolina R C Pieterman
  • , Olaf M Dekkers
  • , Annenienke van de Ven
  • , Wouter W de Herder
  • , Wouter T Zandee
  • , Madeleine L Drent
  • , Peter H Bisschop
  • , Bas Havekes
  • , Menno R Vriens
  • , Annemarie A Verrijn Stuart
  • , Gerlof D Valk
  • , Rachel S van Leeuwaarde

Research output: Contribution to journalArticleAcademicpeer-review

5 Downloads (Pure)

Abstract

CONTEXT: Nonfunctioning pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors (NF-pNETs) are highly prevalent and constitute an important cause of mortality in patients with multiple endocrine neoplasia type 1 (MEN1). Still, the optimal age to initiate screening for pNETs is under debate.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this work is to assess the age of occurrence of clinically relevant NF-pNETs in young MEN1 patients.

METHODS: Pancreatic imaging data of MEN1 patients were retrieved from the DutchMEN Study Group database. Interval-censored survival methods were used to describe age-related penetrance, compare survival curves, and develop a parametric model for estimating the risk of having clinically relevant NF-pNET at various ages. The primary objective was to assess age at occurrence of clinically relevant NF-pNET (size ≥ 20 mm or rapid growth); secondary objectives were the age at occurrence of NF-pNET of any size and pNET-associated metastasized disease.

RESULTS: Five of 350 patients developed clinically relevant NF-pNETs before age 18 years, 2 of whom subsequently developed lymph node metastases. No differences in clinically relevant NF-pNET-free survival were found for sex, time frame, and type of MEN1 diagnosis or genotype. The estimated ages (median, 95% CI) at a 1%, 2.5%, and 5% risk of having developed a clinically relevant tumor are 9.5 (6.5-12.7), 13.5 (10.2-16.9), and 17.8 years (14.3-21.4), respectively.

CONCLUSION: Analyses from this population-based cohort indicate that start of surveillance for NF-pNETs with pancreatic imaging at age 13 to 14 years is justified. The psychological and medical burden of screening at a young age should be considered.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)3515-3525
Number of pages11
JournalThe Journal of clinical endocrinology and metabolism
Volume106
Issue number12
Early online date1 Aug 2021
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 1 Dec 2021

Keywords

  • age-related penetrance
  • multiple endocrine neoplasia type 1
  • pancreatic NET
  • surveillance

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Initiating Pancreatic Neuroendocrine Tumor (pNET) Screening in Young MEN1 Patients: results from the DutchMEN Study Group'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this