Tag: Blood brain barrier (BBB)

A network of blood vessels with closely spaced cells that makes it difficult for potentially toxic substances (such as anticancer drugs) to penetrate the blood vessel walls and enter the brain. Another substance that does not cross the BBB is serotonin.

08Sep 2016 by Ronny Allan 20 Comments

Serotonin – the NET effect

Diet and Nutrition, Living with Neuroendocrine Cancer, Patient Advocacy, The NET Effect Series

picture shows an actual serotonin receptor BackgroundI'd never heard of Serotonin until I was diagnosed with Neuroendocrine Cancer in 2010. It is frequently discussed, often with contrasting views from the respondents. One common assumption/question is that it is responsible for many things that can go wrong with Neuroendocrine Cancer patients who have serotonin-producing tumours. To a certain extent, that's true but statement such as "it's the hormones" is an easy assumption to make; or an easy answer to give in response to a complex set of circumstances. It's difficult to get a definitive answer and the science behind the behaviour of our hormones isn't really 100% tied down - the human body is extremely complex.You may see serotonin referred to as a 'neurotransmitter', a 'chemical' and a 'hormone' - this…

This ENETS guidance paper, developed by a multidisciplinary working group, provides up-to-date and practical advice on the diagnosis and management of digestive neuroendocrine carcinoma, based on recent developments and study results. These recommendations aim to pave the road for more standardized care for our patients resulting in improved outcomes. However, it’s true to say that […]

Neuroendocrine Cancer – Clinical Esoterica

One of the key awareness messages for Neuroendocrine Cancer is the hormonal syndromes that can often accompany the diagnosis for many people. As it’s a difficult disease to diagnose, many people struggle with these syndromes for some time before formal diagnosis of Neuroendocrine Cancer. Some continue to struggle after. Neuroendocrine Cancer can often be uncannily […]

Neuroendocrine Cancer – The F Words

When I first created my blog in April 2014, I had to find some material to lead up to my 84 mile walk (at the time, it was a temporary vehicle for the single purpose of raising money for charity). An idea I had probably led to the longer term survival of this blog after […]

Laughter is the best medicine

Laughter is important. This is a remastered version of one of my early blog posts. It centred on a ‘get-well’ card I received recuperating in hospital after my first major surgery. The person who sent it knew I had a sense of humour, and it did make me smile. My surgeon’s secretary came to visit […]

European Neuroendocrine Tumor Society (ENETS) 2023 guidance paper for gastric neuroendocrine tumours (NETs) G1–G3

The ENETS 2023 guideline for gNETs are combined with the guidelines for Duodenal NET (dNET) due to their close relationship in anatomical terms. Gastric neuroendocrine neoplasms (gNENs) are tumours with an increasing annual incidence and. The vast majority of gNENs are well-differentiated neuroendrocrine tumours (NETs), which are usually classified according to the background gastric pathology […]