28Nov 2016 by Ronny Allan 18 Comments
Neuroendocrine Tumours (NET) – benign vs malignant

Neuroendocrine Tumours (NET) – benign vs malignant

Awareness, Patient Advocacy
OPINION:One of the most controversial aspects of Neuroendocrine Neoplasms, in particular low grade Neuroendocrine Tumours (NETs), is the 'benign vs malignant' question.  It's been widely debated and it frequently patrols the various patient forums and other social media platforms. It raises emotions and it triggers many responses ..... at least from those willing to engage in the conversation. At best, this issue can cause confusion, at worst, it might contradict what new patients have been told by their physicians (....or not been told). I don't believe it's an exact science and can be challenging for a NET specialist let alone a doctor who is not familiar with the disease.Going forward I'm mostly intending to use the term Neuroendocrine Tumours (NETs) as that is where the problem lies.NANETS Guidance talks about the '...heterogeneous clinical…
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25Feb 2016 by Ronny Allan 4 Comments
Carcinoid – What’s in a name?

Carcinoid – What’s in a name?

Awareness
A quick primer on the word 'CARCINOID'.  It originates from the term 'Carcinoma-like'.  'CARCIN' is a truncation of Carcinoma (by definition cancerous or malignant tumour). 'OID' is a suffix meaning 'resembling' or 'like'.  This infers that Carcinoid cannot be a truly malignant tumour - thus the confusion (..... and anger!). The most worrying connotation of the use of the word ‘Carcinoid’ is the belief that they all have benign clinical and biological behaviour.  That is dangerous thinking which could end up killing people. There is now widespread use of the term Neuroendocrine Tumours (NETs) and this is based on the latest classification scheme pushed out by the World Health Organisation (WHO) in 2010 subsequently updated by WHO 2017.  The correct term for all types is actually Neuroendocrine Neoplasm (NEN) which is an umbralla…
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