Tag: Chromogranin

Chromogranins belong to an evolutionarily conserved family of proteins that serve as neuropeptide proproteins and the secretogranin-II-derived peptide secretoneurin is a 33 amino acid polypeptide that exerts its effects by binding to specific receptors.

See also Chromogranin A, Chromogranin B and Chromogranin C (also known as Secretogranin II)

24May 2023 by Ronny Allan No Comments

A spotlight on Chromogranin A

A Spotlight on NENs - Testing Series, Patient Advocacy

What is Chromogranin A? Chromogranin A (CgA) is an acidic protein released along with catecholamines from chromaffin cells and nerve terminals. This statement alone might explain why it's a good marker to use with Neuroendocrine Neoplasms. It is said to be a measure of tumour bulk. Depending on the test kit being used, you may also see test results for Chromogranin B (CgB) alongside CgA. CgB is said to be less affected by false positives and forms a useful adjunct to the more established chromogranin A measurement. The brand of test kit which includes CgB tends to be confined to Europe. Immunohistochemical Testing. CgA is one the most commonly used immunohistochemical (IHC) markers for neuroendocrine cells and their tumours. You may find the mention of CgA in your biopsy reports…

28Sep 2016 by Ronny Allan 23 Comments

Neuroendocrine Cancer – tumour markers and hormone levels

A Spotlight on NENs - Testing Series, Patient Advocacy

BackgroundSome people on hear the terms "tumour markers" and "hormone levels" when they are diagnosed with Neuroendocrine Cancer. Most of them will have had a form of medical testing at some point in their life, i.e. the sampling and testing of blood, urine, saliva, stool or body tissue. In a nutshell, the medical staff are just measuring the content of a 'substance' and then taking a view whether this is normal or not based on pre-determined ranges. These tests are normally done as a physician's reaction to symptom presentation or maintenance/surveillance of an existing diagnosed condition. Sometimes, abnormal results will lead to more specialist tests.In cancer, these tests are frequently called 'markers'. Most tumour markers are made by normal cells as well as by cancer cells; however, they are produced at…

What is Carcinoid Syndrome? Carcinoid syndrome (CS) is the most frequent hormonal complication accompanying neuroendocrine neoplasms (NENs) and is defined by chronic diarrhoea and/or flushing in the presence of systemic elevated levels of serotonin or its metabolite 5-hydroxyindolacetic acid (5-HIAA). Importantly, other causes of these symptoms should be considered and investigated depending on the clinical presentation. CS […]

Somatostatin Receptor Positive Advanced Bronchial Neuroendocrine Tumors – PRRT vs Everolimus

I was delighted to see this clinical trial which looks at the efficacy of PRRT (Lu177) vs the efficacy of Everolimus (Afinitor). The latter is approved for the treatment of adult patients with progressive, well-differentiated non-functional, neuroendocrine tumors (NET) of gastrointestinal (GI) or lung origin with unresectable, locally advanced or metastatic disease (US FDA wording, […]

Opinion: Let’s attack Cancer metaphors

Since I started blogging, I’ve read dozens of articles on the subject of ‘cancer metaphors’ and in particular their use in describing cancer experiences with the words ‘fight’, ‘battle’ and other ‘military’ sounding terms. The authors say that perhaps this is not the best language to use. One author used the term ‘violence’ to describe these […]

A review of November 2023 on RonnyAllan.NET – Living with Neuroendocrine Cancer

November is always busier as I help spread awareness for 10th Nov (remembering that every day is 10th Nov on my site!). I also managed to push out quite a few blogs, some ‘remasters’ from 2014 but with their originality from that time. Others include the ENETS Guideline series, a work in progress. I’m thankful […]

European Neuroendocrine Tumor Society (ENETS) 2023 guidance paper for Digestive Neuroendocrine Carcinoma

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 […]