Distribution and Characteristics of Pulmonary Neuroendocrine Tumors: Single Institution Experience in Lebanon

Abstract

Background: Neuroendocrine tumors represent 20% of primary lung neoplasms in some registries. According to the WHO classification of 2004, reconsidered for 2015, these lung tumors are divided into 4 groups: typical and atypical carcinoid, small cell and large cell neuroendocrine carcinomas. We report in this paper, for the first time in Lebanon, the distribution and the population characteristics of these tumors. Materials and Methods: This descriptive retrospective study concerned all the pulmonary neuroendocrine tumors (NET) with their characteristics diagnosed in Hotel Dieu de France in Beirut, Lebanon from 2001 to 2012, with attention to features like age, gender and subgroup. Results: Of 194 patients with pulmonary NET, 12.4% were typical carcinoid tumors, 3.6% atypical carcinoid, 66.5% small cell lung cancer, 7.7% combined small cell carcinomas and 9.8% large cell neuroendocrine tumors. The mean ages of patients were respectively 51.2 years in typical carcinoid, 64 years in atypical carcinoid, 64.2 years in small cell lung cancers, 67.2 in combined small cell lung cancer and 66.9 in large cells neuroendocrine tumors. The M/F sex ratios were respectively 0.3, 1.3, 1.4, 2.7 and 2.2. Conclusions: The characteristics of lung neuroendocrine tumors in our Lebanese institution are comparable to those reported in the literature.