Neuroendocrine Tumour may sound strange to the ears of many. But it’s not new.
Recently, famous Bollywood actor Irrfan Khan died from a case of colon infection after he was diagnosed with neuroendocrine cancer in 2018.
This form of cancer affects the specialized cells of the body. These mostly include neural and hormone-producing cells.
Neuroendocrine tumours (NET’s) can be found anywhere in the body, however, common occurrences of the tumour include the lungs, pancreas, intestines and rectum.
Types of NETs
There are two types of NETs. There is the Functional NETs and the Nonfunctional NETs.
It is easy to classify kinds of neuroendocrine tumours on the basis of where they are located and also how they look like. The most common description is on the basis of the impact they have on the body.
Functional NETs cause hormonal disturbances in the body whereas nonfunctional NETs do not cause any or enough hormonal changes to show any symptoms.
This is why NETs have a higher chance of going unnoticed until very late. Many times, neuroendocrine cancers are discovered by mistake.
These put you at risk for developing NETs
Cancer is a mutation in the DNA of the affected cells that forces them to multiple uncontrollably and form said tumours. Risk factors simply increase your chances of forming a neuroendocrine tumour.
They do not directly cause cancer, however, only increase the chances of forming a tumour. However, having a risk factor does not mean that it is necessary you will get a tumour and vice versa.
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Below are a few risk factors of NETs
- Inherited conditions that cause changes in your genes which forces your cells to multiply and cause cancerous tumours.
- NETs are more common in people above the age of 60.
- People with diseases that affect the gastrointestinal tract are at a higher risk
Symptoms of NETs
Even though the symptoms vary from the kind of tumour and the place where it is located, general symptoms like fatigue, loss of appetite and unexplained weight loss are common for any kind of cancer.
If you have a nonfunctional tumour you might experience pain in the specific area and might feel a lump beneath your skin. You may also experience nausea and vomiting.
A functional tumour that affects the body’s ability to maintain hormone production might manifest with the following symptoms
- Diarrhoea
- Skin flushing
- High blood sugar
- Skin rash
You need to visit the doctor as soon as you begin experiencing any of these symptoms. Doctors use a biopsy or blood and urine tests to help them diagnose the disease.
Also, Endoscopies and ultrasounds are used to find any tumours. Once diagnosed, the treatment can be one or a combination of surgery radiation, chemotherapy and drugs.
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