Prognosis of Patients with Bronchopulmonary Neuroendocrine Neoplasms in a Tertiary Neuroendocrine Tumor Centre of Excellence

Abstract

<b><i>Introduction:</i></b> The European Neuroendocrine Tumor Society (ENETS) reports variables of prognostic significance in bronchopulmonary neuroendocrine neoplasms (BP-NENs). The aim of this study was to investigate prognostic factors, recurrence-free survival (RFS), and overall survival (OS) for patients with typical carcinoid (TC), atypical carcinoid (AC), and large-cell neuroendocrine carcinoma (LCNEC). Current follow-up practices vary as the evidence is sparse, and we aimed to explore the relevance of routine bronchoscopy in follow-up. <b><i>Methods:</i></b> This was a cohort study of 208 patients with BP-NENs followed at Aarhus University Hospital in 2008–2019. RFS and OS were determined using the Kaplan-Meier method for the variables such as primary tumor, primary treatment, smoking status, gender, and histological subtypes. <b><i>Results:</i></b> The study included 153 patients with TC, 29 with AC, and 26 with LCNEC. Median follow-up was 48 months. The majority of patients (<i>n</i> = 191) received surgical resection, of which 22 (11%) recurred over time. Seventeen patients had nonsurgical treatment, of which 10 (59%) progressed. The 5-year OS rate was 86% for operated and 9% for nonoperated patients (<i>p</i> &#x3c; 0.05). Patients with TC had a 5-year OS of 90% compared with 63% and 39% for AC and LCNEC, respectively. As for prognostic factors, nonsmokers did not secure a significant difference in OS compared with current/previous smokers (<i>p</i> = 0.51). In the follow-up period, only 2 (9%) of the 22 recurrences were found on a routine bronchoscopy. Both of these recurrences were also found by diagnostic imaging. <b><i>Conclusions:</i></b> Surgical treatment, especially, and diagnosis of TC were associated with a good prognosis. Furthermore, our data did not support routine bronchoscopy as part of a follow-up program for bronchial carcinoids.